Cyclothymia is a mild form of bipolar disorder in which there are similar mood swings, but the highs are not extreme enough to be medically classified as mania and the lows are not severe enough to be categorized as clinical depression.
As with bipolar disorder, there is often a normal period between the highs and lows. The mood swings occur relatively frequently, with no more than 2 symptom-free months in succession.
They must also have persisted for at least 2 years for a formal diagnosis of cyclothymia to be made.
Treatment is usually with mood- stabilizer medications and psychotherapy.
In some cases, the condition clears up, but in others it is long-term or progresses to full-blown bipolar disorder.