Friday, January 15, 2016

Cyclothymic Disorder

By Jack Brummet

In cyclothymia, "moods swing between short periods of mild depression and an elevated mood." That feels like Bipolar-Lite. 

Cyclothymic Disorder, if I'm getting it, is the homo sapien factory setting, right? Else-wise, aren't we emotionally flatlining?

It is estimated that less than 1% of the population experience this disorder, but everyone I have ever known (aside from a few possessing different disorders altogether) up to and including myself, seems to experience this regularly.  And it feels normal, mostly.

I have a lot of mental health professional/social work friends...is it really a separate disorder; is it something on the low end of a bipolar spectrum; and, does it really matter since,  if we all experience this, isn't that more a baseline than a disorder?

---o0o--- 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I agree.
Lifelong cyclothyme just waking up to it at 45!
Looking back, and just looking actually, now I'm like, Aah... such & such is a cyclothyme too!Look, another cyclothymic with rhapsodic intensity on maximum!
When I try to imagine flattening out my ascensions with pills I get complete cabin fever, I start to feel sick and trapped.
Truly, I think stigma is a real problem, I feel that when I participate in the average world of the mere mortal, my natural intensity, focus, creativity, stamina, ingenuity and confident tenacity actually makes people uncomfortable, or to be blunt, they feel inadequate, because I rock.
So, rather than bother with slow wits, I retreat to my own world, do my best to keep a relatively even keel, but allow my natural cycles to drive action and ideas.
Routine, and daily physical endorphin mining is a prerequisite for success.
Rest and rejuvenation is fundamental.
Embrace the peaks, use the troughs to restore & recharge.
Cyclothymia is an evolutionary fast lane, but it does have some danger zones.