Cyclothymic Case Studies

The client is a 29-year-old male who was referred by his girlfriend due to being “moody.” Since the age of 14, the client has experienced repeated cycles of highs and lows and fits the description of Cyclothymic disorder. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, edition 5, (DSM-5), the criteria for cyclothymic disorder is periods involving milder hypomanic symptoms alternating with milder depression for at least 2 years (with no more than 2 months symptom-free) and having symptoms that have never met the criteria for a hypomanic, manic, or major depressive episode.
A hypomanic episode is described as involving a period in which there is a definite, observable change in behavior occurring most of the day nearly every day during the episode for at least 4 days. The behavior change involves a consistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood and unusual increases in energy or goal-directed activity. It also must include at least three of the following symptoms: exaggerated self-esteem or feelings of grandiosity and extreme
CBT, which addresses both polarities of mood swings and comorbid anxiety, was found to yield significant and persistent benefits in cyclothymic disorder (Fava et al., 2011). CBT “comprises a variety of procedures, such as cognitive restructuring, stress inoculation training, problem solving, skills training, relaxation training and others. These procedures are used to help clients recognize and develop strengths and coping skills which they can then generalize and apply to different aspects of their life” (Wyatt and Seid, 2009). Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy will help the client to manage his illness through the teaching of emotional regulation and avoiding stress from overly ambitious goal