cyclothymia

American  

[sahy-kluh-thahy-mee-uh, sik-luh-] / ˌsaɪ kləˈθaɪ mi ə, ˌsɪk lə- /

noun

Psychiatry.

1. a mild bipolar disorder characterized by instability of mood and a tendency to swing between mild euphorias and depressions.

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cyclothymia British  

/ ˌsɪk-, ˌsaɪkləʊˈθaɪmɪə /

noun

1. psychiatry a condition characterized by periodical swings of mood between excitement and depression, activity and inactivity See also manic-depressive

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cyclothymic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of cyclothymia

First recorded in 1920–25; cyclo- + -thymia

Compare meaning

How does cyclothymia compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• cyclothymia vs. dysthymia

Example Sentences

The lyrics discuss her experience of the rare mood disorder cyclothymia, which causes emotional ups and downs that are similar to, but less extreme than, those of bipolar disorder.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2023

Symptoms of cyclothymia include periods of feeling low followed by periods of extreme happiness and excitement.

From BBC • Nov. 2, 2021

What is cyclothymia, and how does it affect you?

From Slate • Dec. 9, 2020

It’s interesting that although I’m alone in this pandemic moment, right now it feels like half the world is suffering from cyclothymia.

From Slate • Dec. 9, 2020

A psychologist would say that your group identification is low and your cyclothymia practically a minus quantity, while your ergic tension is pleasingly high.

From The Pirates of Ersatz by Freas, Kelly