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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you have signs and symptoms common to cyclothymia, call your doctor. After your initial appointment, your doctor may refer you to a mental health provider who can help make a firm diagnosis and create the right treatment plan for you.
Here's some information to help you prepare for your appointment, and what to expect from your doctor.
What you can do
- Write down any symptoms you've been experiencing, and for how long.
- Write down all of your medical information, including other physical or mental health conditions with which you've been diagnosed. Also write down the names of any medications you're taking, including over-the-counter medications, vitamins and supplements.
- Ask a trusted family member or friend to be present for your appointment, if possible. It will be very helpful to your doctor to ask someone close to you about the signs and symptoms they may have noticed. In addition, someone who accompanies you may remember something that you missed or forgot.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor.
Questions to ask your doctor at your initial appointment include:
- What do you believe is causing my symptoms?
- Are there any other possible causes?
- How will you determine my diagnosis?
- Should I see a mental health specialist?
Questions to ask if you are referred to a mental health provider include:
- What is my diagnosis?
- What treatments are likely to be helpful in my case?
- How much do you expect my symptoms to improve with treatment?
- Will I need to be treated for the rest of my life?
- What lifestyle changes can help me manage my symptoms?
- How often should I be seen for follow-up visits?
- Am I at increased risk of other mental health problems?
- Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take home with me? What Web sites do you recommend visiting?
In addition to the questions that you've prepared in advance, don't hesitate to ask for more information at any time that you don't understand something.
What to expect from your doctor
A doctor or mental health provider who sees you for a possible mood disorder may ask:
- How would you describe your symptoms?
- How have the people close to you described your symptoms?
- When did you or your loved ones first notice these symptoms?
- Have your symptoms been getting better or worse over time?
- If you have intense high and low periods, how long do these periods generally last?
- Do you also have periods where your mood feels relatively stable?
- How would you or your loved ones describe your mental and emotional state during high versus low periods?
- How would you or your loved ones say your choices and behaviors change during high versus low periods?
- Do your physical needs change during high versus low periods, such as your need for sleep, food or sex?
- How are these cycles affecting your life, including work, school and relationships?
- What prompted you to seek treatment?
- Have any of your close relatives had similar symptoms?
- Have you been diagnosed with any medical conditions?
- Have you been treated for other psychiatric symptoms or mental illness in the past? If yes, what type of therapy was most beneficial?
- Have you ever thought about harming yourself or others?
- Do you drink alcohol or use illegal drugs? If so, how often?
- Cyclothymic disorder. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. 4th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2000. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Feb. 4, 2010.
- Stovall J. Bipolar disorder: Epidemiology and diagnosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 4, 2010.
- Joska JA, et al. Phenomenology of mood disorders. In: Hales RE, et al., eds. The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Psychiatry. 5th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2008. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Feb. 4, 2010.
- Muzina DJ. Bipolar spectrum disorder: Differential diagnosis and treatment. Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice. 2007;34:521.
- Stovall J. Bipolar disorder: Treatment. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 4, 2010.
- Mischoulon D. Update and critique of natural remedies as antidepressant treatments. Obstetrics & Gynecology Clinics of North America. 2009;36:789.
- Hall-Flavin, DK (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Feb. 5, 2010.
- Frye MA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Feb. 9, 2010
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