Mood Issues
Everyone has emotions but what happens when they become erratic and destructive? People stand clear! Mood disorders have a multitude of difficulties and become urgent when a typical day is more than just “highs and lows” or involves some type of major dysfunction.
The bipolar spectrum attempts to address these lapses of normal behavior, but overall many factors continue to complicate the diagnosis and treatment. Extreme moods can easily occur depending on just one situation, which drastically can change the outcomes.
For example, someone can have chronic depression and then a traumatic experience like a car accident that leads to anxiety and PTSD, which may trigger hallucinations and mania…in addition to other diseases and issues like substance abuse.
Screening tools are helpful to monitor improvement, moods, and behaviors. Mental conditions and events can be overwhelming but with time and patience, a person can achieve emotional stability.
An Overview of Mood Disorders
- Bipolar affective disorder affects about 60 million people worldwide. It typically consists of both manic and depressive episodes separated by periods of normal mood.
- Manic episodes involve elevated or irritable mood, over-activity, the pressure of speech, inflated self-esteem and a decreased need for sleep.
- People who have manic episodes but do not experience depressive episodes are also classified as having bipolar disorder. –World Health Organization
- Mood disorders include: (primarily) bipolar or manic depression, major depressive disorder, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), cyclothymic disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMS), persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia), disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, depression related to medical illness, depression induced by substance use or medication
Signs and Symptoms
There are four basic types of bipolar disorder; all of them involve clear changes in mood, energy, and activity levels. These moods range from periods of extremely “up,” elated, and energized behavior (known as manic episodes) to very sad, “down,” or hopeless periods (known as depressive episodes). Less severe manic periods are known as hypomanic episodes.
- Bipolar I Disorder—defined by manic episodes that last at least 7 days, or by manic symptoms that are so severe that the person needs immediate hospital care. Usually, depressive episodes occur as well, typically lasting at least 2 weeks. Episodes of depression with mixed features (having depression and manic symptoms at the same time) are also possible. This diagnosis is more severe, the person usually is hospitalized due to a manic episode.
- Bipolar II Disorder— a pattern of depressive episodes and hypomanic episodes, but not the full-blown manic episodes described above. Less severe than bipolar I
- Cyclothymic Disorder (also called cyclothymia)— numerous periods of hypomanic symptoms as well as numerous periods of depressive symptoms lasting for at least 2 years (1 year in children and adolescents). However, the symptoms do not meet the diagnostic requirements for a hypomanic episode and a depressive episode.
- Other Specified and Unspecified Bipolar and Related Disorders—defined by bipolar disorder symptoms that do not match the three categories listed above.
–The National Institute of Mental Health
Anxiety vs. Mania
- Mania involves hospitalizations, whereas anxiety is more tolerable.
- A person with a manic mood constantly becomes more elevated until it’s pathological with dangerous hallucinations or harmful behaviors.
- Although anxiety can be present in bipolar patients, it’s usually associated with stabilizing their mood swings (getting them to calm down). Treating mania is more important than treating vs. anxiety.
- Patients with anxiety WANT to sleep. Manic patients report how they DON’T need to sleep even after being up for several days.
Possible Etiologies
This beautifully explains and reinforces the importance of neurotransmitters or chemical imbalances as it relates to moods and behaviors:
The Function of Neurotransmitters:
| DA-RAMP | NE | 5HT |
| Reward | Alertness | Happiness |
| Attention | Drive | Moods |
| Motivation | ||
| Pleasure |
Key Points
- A mood disorder is a mental health class that health professionals use to broadly describe all types of depression and bipolar disorders.
- The most common types of mood disorders are major depression, dysthymia (dysthymic disorder), bipolar disorder, mood disorder due to a general medical condition, and substance-induced mood disorder.
- There is no clear cause of mood disorders. Healthcare providers think they are a result of chemical imbalances in the brain. Some types of mood disorders seem to run in families, but no genes have yet been linked to them.
- In general, nearly everyone with a mood disorder has ongoing feelings of sadness and may feel helpless, hopeless, and irritable. Without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks, months, or years, and can impact the quality of life.
- Depression is most often treated with medicine, psychotherapy or cognitive behavioral therapy, family therapy, or a combination of medicine and therapy. In some cases, other therapies, such as electroconvulsive therapy and transcranial stimulation may be used.
Resources for Mood Disorders
Free Booklets and Brochures
- Bipolar Disorder: A brochure on bipolar disorder that offers basic information on signs and symptoms, treatment, and finding help.
- Bipolar Disorder in Children and Teens: A brochure on bipolar disorder in children and teens that offers basic information on signs and symptoms, treatment, and finding help.
-The National Institute of Mental Health
Quick Links
- Additional Websites for Bipolar Disorders
- Learn More About Neurotransmitters
