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(The ICD-10 Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders World
Health Organization, Geneva, 1992)
F34.0 Cyclothymia
A persistent instability of mood, involving numerous periods
of mild depression and mild elation. This instability usually develops early in adult life
and pursues a chronic course, although at times the mood may be normal and stable for
months at a time. The mood swings are usually perceived by the individual as being
unrelated to life events. The diagnosis is difficult to establish without a prolonged
period of observation or an unusually good account of the individual's past behaviour.
Because the mood swings are relatively mild and the periods of mood elevation may be
enjoyable, cyclothymia frequently fails to come to medical attention. In some cases this
may be because the mood change, although present, is less prominent than cyclical changes
in activity, self-confidence, sociability, or appetitive behaviour. If required, age of
onset may be specified as early (in late teenage or the twenties) or late.
Diagnostic Guidelines
The essential feature is a persistent instability of mood, involving numerous periods of
mild depression and mild elation, none of which has been sufficiently severe or prolonged
to fulfil the criteria for bipolar affective disorder or recurrent depressive disorder.
This implies that individual episodes of mood swings do not fulfil the criteria for any of
the categories described under manic episode or depressive episode.
Includes:
affective personality disorder
cycloid personality
cyclothymic personality
Differential Diagnosis
This disorder is common in the relatives of patients with bipolar affective disorder and
some individuals with cyclothymia eventually develop bipolar affective disorder
themselves. It may persist throughout adult life, cease temporarily or permanently, or
develop into more severe mood swings meeting the criteria for bipolar affective disorder
or recurrent depressive disorder.
ICD-10 copyright © 1992 by World Health Organization.
