Which statement about Cyclothymic Disorder is true?

• A. Symptoms must be present over a 2 year period without a lapse longer than 2 months.
• B. It always includes full manic episodes.
• C. It causes severe impairment in social functioning.
• D. It is marked by rapid mood changes with full mania.

Answer: (A)

Cyclothymic disorder is defined by a chronic pattern of mood fluctuation within the bipolar spectrum, where there are numerous periods of hypomanic-like symptoms and depressive-like symptoms that do not meet the criteria for full manic, hypomanic, or major depressive episodes. The key requirement is that these symptoms persist for at least two years in adults (one year in children/adolescents) with no period of symptom-free status longer than about two months. That duration and subthreshold nature are what set cyclothymia apart from other bipolar conditions.

This is why the statement describing a two-year duration with limited symptom-free intervals is the best choice. It captures the ongoing, subthreshold mood instability that characterizes cyclothymic disorder.

The other descriptions aren’t accurate for cyclothymia: full manic episodes are not present, so statements requiring them are incorrect; severe impairment in social functioning is not a defining feature and can vary; and rapid mood changes with full mania describe manic fluctuations more typical of bipolar I or II disorders rather than cyclothymia.