Hi.. Anyone here have Cyclothymia?

I was diagnosed just before Christmas with it after finally getting to see a psychiatrist. I had been fighting depression for several years and was put on different med after different med. I had got to the point where I never thought I would ever feel okay again and admittedly suicidal thoughts were becoming more and more frequent. AT least once a week I was contemplating it. I am pleased to say that I have NOT thought once about doing it since being put on my new medication. (WAHOO!) Admittedly its only been a few weeks but hey, its a step in the right direction right? I go back to see my psychiatrist on the 22nd. Anyway, hi, hope to meet some of you and hear some stories, experiences, strategies of getting through the tough times, dealing with family/friends who just don't get it etc. (BUT that's a whole other story!)

hi hopes for happiness. I dont have the full cyclothymia but i do have dysthymic disorder (the down part of cyclothymia) and major depressive disorder so i have a small bit of an understanding of it. Everyone here is really friendly and feel free to ask questions, post whenever you need support and dont forget to use the chatbox at the bottom of the home page. Welcome to the BBD.

Thanks for your reply 1teaspoon. I realise cyclothymia is rare but hmmm thought there may be more....? Yeah I have a major depressive disorder as well. How do you deal with them? I have 2 young children and all I want to do is hide in my room and totally isolate myself. I am always scared I will say horrid things to the kids and think if I can just disappear then I wont effect them.

Its bloody hard some days, and easier on others. Before i was diagnosed i made all sorts of bad choices, but once i was diagnosed and actually had a name for what was wrong, i realised that i was probably going to have this for life and that i better start making better choices for myself.
In saying that, i still have days when i dont want to get out of bed, or i shut myself away in my room so the others in the house dont cop my foul mood. Tis easier for me tho as i dont have children, well cant have them but thats another story.

If you dissapeared, your children would be affected because they would have to grow up not having a mummy and having unanswered questions about why mummy left. The fact that you are scared of saying something horrid to your kids is probably a good thing because your aware of it and that alone will probably stop you from saying anything like that.

It hasent been all roses for me, i still have really bad days, but i also have good coping mechanisms in place and use them most times to cope with the bad times.
The best thing i ever did was start a journal. I just bought a hard cover exercise book and started writing whatever was in my head. I have been doing that for 8 years now and have found it a valuable tool. Not only does it get the thoughts out of my head, it is also useful too look back on and see how far i have come.
I use mediatation a bit, although have been really slack on that one lately and music is a major tool for me to use. If im really angry i put on rock music and it calms me down, or if im down and really need a good cry, i put something mellow in. (For years i couldnt physically cry, and had to retrain myself to know that its ok to cry... not weak like i had always thought.) Then if im too down, i put something funky in, with good lyrics or good base and it generally cheers me up. When im really agitated and frustrated i feel like breaking something. Have tried that one but its a pain having to clean the crockery up off the floor afterwards lol.

The right meds have been a big help too. I tried 3 different ones before i found one that worked for me and because i have been keeping a concious record of my moods i can now tell when i need to up my dose or lower it.

Sorry if i come across like i have all the answers, cos believe me i dont, but i guess ive just put what works for me.

Bumping this up for Lowdown ...... Daze

Hi,

I have just been told i have Cyclothymia. Makes a lot of sense to me looking back at my life..