Cyclotility: characteristics and features

Cyclotimity or cycloidy is a concept in psychiatry that characterizes undulating mood swings and instability of character, in which periods of activity and emotional recovery suddenly give way to depression and depression. The range of state changes can be different: from several days to weeks. Cyclotymics are at risk for people who may develop manic-depressive psychosis. But with bipolar disorder, psychopathy has designated behaviors, and cycloids continue to clearly assess and analyze the situation.

Cyclotymic in psychology is a condition in which a person first experiences euphoria and glee, and then suddenly feels a persistent aversion to life and to himself. This applies not only to mood, but also to character traits. Sociability is replaced by a craving for loneliness, activity - a decline in strength, a bright life prospects - a feeling of deep hopelessness. Hyperthym (active) instantly turns into a hypotym (non-initiative). The rate of alternation of these conditions depends on provoking factors:

• violation of sleep and rest;
• physical and emotional overload;
• troubles at work, poor study;
• sad events (dismissal, divorce, illness or death of a loved one).

Cyclotymic psychopathy can manifest itself on the contrary: a person is depressed and is completely indifferent to the events, but at the same time continues to joke and engage in vigorous activity or, against the background of a good mood and optimistic mood, ceases to communicate with people and withdraws into himself.Personality disorder leads to a sense of injustice and meaninglessness of everything around.

If cyclothymia manifests itself in a teenager, he has a desire to take his own life against the background of depressive states, and when he is emotionally uplifted, he makes an extreme act (hitchhiking, jumping from a height, conquering a mountain peak, diving from a tower). And only at this moment, most adults begin to understand that the child needs psychological help. Does this mean that he is sick? Scientists still have not come to an unambiguous conclusion whether cycloidy is a disease or is it a mental disorder that can be dealt with through psychological training.

Leonhard accentuation considers cyclotimity as an extreme variant of the norm, and not of the disease. From the category of people with affective psychoses, 2 groups are distinguished:

• typical;
• labile.

A cyclotymic typical individual is a person whose periods of ups and downs of mood are noted with the same frequency - 2-3 weeks. The first crisis is observed in adolescence. An active and active teenager suddenly ceases to be interested in what is happening around, eschews peers, spends time alone.

He thinks about the meaning of life, he is not satisfied with the current state of affairs, and a feeling of his own inferiority arises. Any criticism is perceived very painfully and can be an impetus to an attempted suicide. The very fact of the desire to die is not advertised, the action is performed under the influence of affect.

Depression gives way to an emotional upsurge, a new acquaintance, a long-awaited letter, financial incentive - that is, any pleasant event that becomes the trigger for the transition from the phase of hypotension to hypertimity, can affect this. A person is actively interested in current events, empathizes, jokes, is in the center of attention. He is sociable, cheerful, manages to do a lot of things during the day, returns to his previous hobbies, shows an affection for people who are pleasant to him. After 2-3 weeks, in a typical cyclotymic they again “turn off the light bulb”, and the whole world for him becomes dull and gray.

In labile cycloids, ups and downs of mood occur with a small interval: each period lasts 2-3 days. These are agile, curious, funny, charming people who have an unstable character. It’s easy to upset or offend them, they subtly feel what is happening, they react sensitively to changes in their attitude to themselves, they are painfully related to fundamental changes in life. They are deeply hopelessly plunged into depression and attempts to get them out of this state do not lead to anything: the cyclothymic at this moment is convinced that life is over for him and there is nothing to rejoice in it.

2-3 days pass and loved ones note that the cycloid has a sparkle in his eyes, he plans some meetings, talks on the phone a lot, makes grandiose plans for the future. A typical feature of labile cyclothymics is a reassessment of one's own capabilities. They cannot really assess the current situation and at this time often commit expansive, risky acts that threaten their health and life.

The main cause of cyclothymia is a hereditary factor. Among the relatives there are necessarily people with an unstable character: quick-tempered, emotional, unbalanced. In anger, they commit acts, which they later regret, and in a peaceful, calm state they become like angels.

Such sharp mood swings in adults necessarily affect the psyche of a teenager. He does not know what awaits him at the next moment: “carrot” or “carrot”.Stresses, deep mental pain, suffered in the childhood and puberty, are a factor in the fact that a person has a mental disorder.

Stresses and negative experiences lead to the fact that a person reacts painfully to any changes in life. He is looking for stability, a calm and measured life, and with life shakes, he is lost and does not know how to properly respond to the current situation. Among women, there are 2-3 times more cyclothymics because of the delicate, vulnerable psyche: they perceive the surrounding events through the prism of feelings and only then analyze them with their minds.

Signs of cyclothymia are difficult to determine if human behavior fits into the concept of “normal”. Outbreaks of aggression or a state of euphoria and joy occur in all people. But the cycloid type of personality, unlike others, is characterized by extreme manifestations of emotions. Psychopathy may be indicated by:

• causeless and frequent change of mood;
• anger, in which a person ceases to control himself (affect);

• constantly changing self-esteem - too low or too high;
• a sharp change in preferences and interests (a woman loves to knit, but after a day, “in hearts” cuts almost a finished product to shreds);
• inability to finish things to the end: at first the cyclotime takes it with enthusiasm, but the fuse quickly disappears, and he no longer returns to his previous occupation;
• the inability to focus on one thing, to focus on the object or task.

The period of apathy and inaction is characterized by signs:

• difficulties in communicating with people;
• fluctuations in making a specific decision;
• a sense of hopelessness and meaninglessness of what is happening;
• helplessness;
• memory problems
• hatred of oneself and other people;
• ideas of self-destruction;
• indulging in bad habits;
• gluttony or refusal of food;
• fatigue, chronic fatigue, feeling of impotence;
• insomnia or drowsiness.

Symptoms during a period of hyperthymia:

• speech arousal - cyclothymic speaks a lot, but speech is meaningless, without logical connections and concrete meaning;
• emotional upsurge - life is seen in bright, rainbow colors;
• energy, vigor, strength boost;
• excessive familiarity in communicating with people, violation of their personal space, lack of respect;
• increased sexual desire;
• desire to accomplish a feat, a memorable act;
• shocking behavior;
• quick change of interest;
• lack of introspection.

It is difficult for cyclotimics to build strong relationships with people, because they do not know what to expect from him at the next moment. The cycloid is so unpredictable in its speech or behavior that friends and acquaintances prefer to stay away to avoid the troubles that constantly haunt their unbalanced acquaintance.

Cyclotymic of the difficulty of communication lies in the fact that he does not build any specific line of behavior, he does not have a specific goal, to which he aspires every day. His plans for the future are too illusive or frightening with his grotesqueness and unrealizability. It is difficult for people to understand cyclotimics, living dreams and idealizing people of the opposite sex, to whom he feels sympathy.

This is a chaos man, a storm, sweeping away everything in its path and not thinking about the consequences.The difficulties are that the cycloid does not analyze what is happening with a cold and calm mind, but rushes into a new life battle, leaving behind itself the "ashes" and heartbroken beloved people.

The difficulties of treatment are that the cycloid does not realize that it is sick. Close people attribute the mood swings to the features of his character. They start to sound the alarm only when cyclotimic does things that threaten his health and life. Often, the first call to a psychologist occurs after the first suicidal attempt. It is important to understand the features of the behavior of the cycloid, because each case is individual.

With sudden changes in the emotional state, when a person experiences strong fear and an unreasonable sense of anxiety (against this background, attacks of VVD - vegetative-vascular dystonia may occur), light antidepressants can be prescribed, which the patient takes with courses. With psychomotor agitation, treatment with antipsychotics is prescribed. The duration of administration of drugs and their dosage is adjusted by a specialist.

Cyclothymic can help itself in overcoming a mental disorder. It is important to learn how to analyze what is happening, to establish logical chains between actions and words. To do this, you must adhere to the following recommendations.

• Keep a personal diary in which, in addition to describing events, you need to record a personal attitude and your reaction to what has happened. When reading a diary, it is easier to analyze, which caused a sharp change in mood and behavior.
• Cyclotimics first speak, then think about what they said. You need to learn to clearly articulate thoughts and phrases.
• Each new business must be brought to an end. If there is no 100% confidence in this, then a new task should be formulated.
• In a relationship, one must learn to put oneself mentally in the place of the interlocutor. If you develop character traits such as empathy and compassion, there will be much less communication problems.

About what type of personality is cyclothymic, see the next video.