# Sudden Personality Change



## Marvinteck (Nov 17, 2010)

Back in the September of 2010 I had something very strange happen to me. My personality turned on a dime and stayed like that for a period of seven to fourteen days. After that my personality reverted back to my normal state.

During that two week time period I was suffering from what could best be described as Cyclothymia. Im an ISFJ type personality. A very stressful and shocking event happened right before my personality changed and it is what trigger the episode of Cyclothymia. Has this ever happened to anybody else?

EDIT: Cyclothymia disorder last for two years or more so more than likely it wasnt that.


What Can Cause Sudden Personality Changes?
By Chris Blank, eHow Contributor

Sudden personality changes can be disturbing and even frightening to people who witness the change, and to the person who has undergone the personality change as well. In nearly all instances, there is some outside factor involved. These factors can be health-related or due to medication or other substances the person might be using. In any event, sudden personality change is an indicator that calls for immediate attention.

Symptoms of Sudden Personality Change
Sudden personality changes are accompanied by a number of related symptoms. These symptoms include confusion, delusional beliefs even when presented with contrary evidence, violent behavior (with no previous history), withdrawal from family and friends, paranoid beliefs or behavior, and general acting out, including radical changes in lifestyle


Read more: What Can Cause Sudden Personality Changes? | eHow.com What Can Cause Sudden Personality Changes? | eHow.com


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## NastyCat (Sep 20, 2009)

Cyclothymia? Are you sure it's not just depression?

Episodes of depression of up to two weeks are occur quite often. The rates are pretty high nowadays, too.


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## Marvinteck (Nov 17, 2010)

NastyCat said:


> Cyclothymia? Are you sure it's not just depression?
> 
> Episodes of depression of up to two weeks are occur quite often. The rates are pretty high nowadays, too.


It definitely wasnt just simple depression. In fact I had not been that happy in 28 years. I was going through periods of extreme euphoria then I would crash and be extremely depressed to the point of wanting to hurt myself.When I was extremely happy I would experience almost all of these symptoms:

_Unusually good mood or cheerfulness (euphoria); Extreme optimism; Inflated self-esteem; Poor judgment; Rapid speech; Racing thoughts; Aggressive or hostile behavior; Being inconsiderate of others; Agitation; Increased physical activity; Risky behavior; Increased drive to perform or achieve goals; Increased sexual drive; Decreased need for sleep; Tendency to be easily distracted; Inability to concentrate.
_
When I crashed and was depressed I had almost all of these symptoms:

_Difficulty making decisions; problems concentrating; poor memory recall; guilt; self-criticism; low self-esteem; pessimism; self-destructive thinking; continuously feeling sad; apathy; hopelessness; helplessness; irritability; quick temper; lack of motivation; social withdrawal; appetite change; lack of sexual desire; self-neglect; fatigue or insomnia
_

This went on for about two weeks then my personality and mood went back to normal. Im not a psychologist so I cant say for certain it was Cyclothymia but I can assure you I was suffering from some sort of mood disorder. At this point I dont know the exact psychiatric term for it but Im just glad things went back to normal.


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## Stillwater (Dec 14, 2009)

It does sound like cyclothymia, apparently it can be a one time event or arise off and on in the future, even morphing into bipolarism down the road. 

I'd tell the people who are around you the most often about this, and ask them to keep an eye on you in the future just in case. Tell them to look for the signs of mania and to contact your parents or even drag you to a clinic if it occurs. My best friend is bipolar and I've done this for him for the last 7 years, the last time I had to trick him into believing we were going to the bar when in fact i drove him right to the emergency ward and had him committed. In the height of mania sufferers think they're on top of the world and never better and nothing is wrong and can't be convinced otherwise. Meanwhile they are spending all their hard earned money, engaging in very risky behaviour etc. 

You may never experience this again, but better safe than sorry later.


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