Mood disorders like depression, the seasonal affective disorder will directly lead to addiction to something. Mental health is important for physical fitness. It is vital to know about mental disorders and their solutions or treatments. They both have very small differences. Both affect your daily life.
Key Takeaways
- Cyclothymia is a milder form of bipolar disorder, characterized by mood swings between hypomania and mild depression.
- Bipolar disorder presents more severe mood fluctuations, with episodes of mania and major depression.
- Both chronic conditions require ongoing treatment and management to maintain emotional stability.
Cyclothymia vs Bipolar Disorder
The difference between cyclothymia and bipolar disorder is their effectiveness. Cyclothymia is a light version of bipolar disorder. Unlike bipolar disorder, cyclothymia-affected persons have short-term mood cycles of mania. Cyclothymia has fewer effects, and bipolar results in suicide. Unlike cyclothymia, bipolar-affected peoples have a chance of misusing drugs.
A rare mood disorder is cyclothymia. Unlike bipolar, cyclothymia is not active, but it causes emotional ups and downs. Cyclothymia-affected people have periodic mood shifts and shit up from the baseline. It takes you to the peak of your feelings, like the top of the world when you are happy and suddenly upset when you are down. But cyclothymic consequences don’t extreme as bipolar. With the cyclothymic effects, you are stable and fine.
Manic depression in the mental health of people is called bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder causes extreme mood swings that result in a peak of emotions from highs(mania) to lows(depression). The two different mood swings are extreme in bipolar disorder. If you are sad, you feel hopeless and pushed into depression. If you are happy, you are full of energy and enthusiasm. Both these mood swings will affect daily activities. You get angry for small things, and sometimes you blame yourself for things.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of comparison | Cyclothymia | Bipolar Disorder |
|---|---|---|
| Versions | Cyclothymia is a mild version. | Bipolar disorder is an effective version. |
| Mood swings | Cyclothymia has short-term mood cycles | Bipolar disorder has long-term mood cycles. |
| Level of effectiveness | Cyclothymia is less effective. | Bipolar disorder is highly effective. |
| Symptoms | Cyclothymia has irritability, aggressiveness, insomnia or hypersomnia (sleeping too much), and changes in appetite. | Bipolar disorder has Abnormal upbeat, jumpy or wired, Increased activity, energy or agitation, Exaggerated sense of well-being and self-confidence (euphoria), and Decreased need for sleep. |
| Last | Cyclothymia last no more than weeks | Bipolar disorder lasts in episodes. |
What is Cyclothymia?
Cyclothymia is a disorder related to mental health. It changes the mood from high to low. The sudden emotional difference from high to low is a symptom of cyclothymia. The high means elevated mood and the low means depressed feelings. It has symptoms that are similar to bipolar disorder since it is the mild version of bipolar. Cyclothymia affects your daily life. The mood of a cyclothymic-affected person is unpredictable.
The moods are classified into hypomanic symptoms and depression symptoms. The hypomanic symptoms are the Tendency to be easily distracted, Racing thoughts, Poor judgment that can result in risky behaviour or unwise choices, and Decreased need for sleep. The symptoms of depression are tearfulness, insomnia, fatigue, concentration problems, irritation against people, loss of interest, and enthusiasm.
Cyclothymia is a rare disorder because of misprediction. Only well-trained professionals can differentiate. During the young age or adulthood, cyclothymia is affected. Statics said that both males and females are affected equally. Medically, there is no specified way to prevent cyclothymia. The earlier treatment will help for a better life. Doctors advised visiting them in earlier stages to help them recover from major depression.
What is Bipolar Disorder?
The bipolar is the strong version and effective too. It is a disorder related to the brain. Bipolar affect your mood swings heavily. Bipolar disorder affects your day-to-day activities. The mood episodes from one feeling to the other are the symptoms of bipolar disorder. There are two different mood episodes, namely, hypomanic and depressed moods. A neutral mood is also a symptom of bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder can be treated, and the bipolar-affected person has a chance to lead a productive life.
The hypomanic symptoms of bipolar disorder are insomnia, quick changes in ideas, instability, faster speech, and risky behaviour. The depressing symptoms of bipolar disorder are deep sadness, risky thoughts, suicidal behaviour, difficulty in concentration, restlessness, frequent unusual thoughts, and worthless feelings. Both episodes cause severe mood swings and reflect in daily life.
In common, families have bipolar disorder. According to the records, 90 per cent of individuals with bipolar disorder have relatives with the same disorder. So we can say it may be a genetic disorder. Environmental factors are also a reason for bipolar disorder. A person working in a vulnerable situation might be affected by bipolar disorder. The imbalance of chemicals in the brain will lead to bipolar disorder. The average of people affected by bipolar disorder is 25 years old.
Main Differences Between Cyclothymia and Bipolar Disorder
- Unlike Cyclothymia, bipolar disorder is a strong version of mood disorders.
- Cyclothymia has short-term mood cycles, and bipolar disorder has long-term mood cycles.
- Cyclothymia has less effective, and bipolar is highly effective and results in suicidal thoughts.
- Cyclothymia has irritability and aggressiveness, and bipolar disorder has Abnormal upbeat and jumpy or wired feelings.
- Cyclothymia lasts no more than weeks, but bipolar disorder lasts in episodes.
- https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1985-25555-001
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0165032792900447
Last Updated : 11 June, 2023
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
I am very glad I read this. I was somewhat uninformed about mental disorders, and the part that impressed me most was that the difference between cyclothymia and bipolar disorder is their effectiveness. Incredibly insightful.
I found it to be a very educational read as well!
I couldn’t agree more. Don’t you think cyclothymia is almost like the middle ground between bipolar disorder and a normal emotional experience?
Informative and important. An essential read for all.
Absolutely critical information.
Well-written. One of the most educational pieces I’ve read.
I found the article to be very sarcastic. It explains all these symptoms but then denies the importance at the end.
I didn’t get the same impression, but I understand what you mean.
I didn’t find it sarcastic at all, I found it to be very serious and educational.
Disheartening. It is hard to believe that these disorders can cause such harm and treatment isn’t always effective. It is a valid, informative argument, though.
Yes, I am finding the comments to be just as informative as the article.
I agree with you, although I did find the educational content to be quite useful.
This has been extremely informative.
I could never foresee the effects of such a mood disorder. It takes you up to the top of the world when you are happy and suddenly upset when you are down.
It is as much comical as it is tragic.
This article has been very useful and informative to me. It has given me clear insight into the differences between cyclothymia and bipolar disorder.
It certainly is a very well-written article.