MOOD DISORDER

OVERVIEW
Mood disorders are mental health disorders that involve emotional disturbances consisting of long
periods of excessive sadness (depression), excessive joyousness or elation (mania), or both.
Depression and mania represent the two extremes, or poles, of mood disorders.

Mood disorders are sometimes called affective disorders. Affect (emphasis on the first syllable) means
emotional state as revealed through facial expressions and gestures.

Sadness and joy are part of the normal experience of everyday life and differ from the depression and
mania that characterize mood disorders. Sadness is a natural response to loss, defeat, disappointment,
trauma, or catastrophe.

Grief or bereavement is the most common of the normal reactions to a loss or separation, such as the
death of a loved one, divorce, or romantic disappointment. Usually, bereavement and loss do not cause
persistent, incapacitating depression except in people predisposed to mood disorders.

Did You Know...

 About 30% of people who visit a doctor say they feel depressed, but fewer than 10% have
severe depression.
A mood disorder is diagnosed when sadness or elation is overly intense, is accompanied by certain other
typical symptoms, and impairs the ability to function physically, socially, and at work.

When only depression occurs, it is termed a unipolar disorder. Other mood disorders, termed bipolar

disorders, involve episodes of depression alternating with episodes of mania. Mania without depression
(called unipolar mania) is very rare.

About 30% of people report depression as one of their symptoms when they see their doctor. But fewer
than 10% actually have severe depression. Nearly 4% of the U.S. population have a bipolar disorder.

Mood disorders in children and adolescents can also occur.

Having a mood disorder, particularly one that involves depression, increases the risk of other problems,
such as inability to do daily activities and maintain relationships, loss of appetite, extreme anxiety,
and alcohol use disorder. As many as 15% of people with untreated depression end their life by suicide.

SOURCE: https://www.msdmanuals.com/home/mental-health-disorders/mood-disorders/overview-of-
mood-disorders

Overview of Mood Disorders

Mood disorders are emotional disturbances consisting of prolonged periods of excessive sadness,
excessive joyousness, or both. Mood disorders can occur in children and adolescents (see Depressive
Disorders in Children and Adolescents and Bipolar Disorder in Children and Adolescents).

Mood disorders are categorized as

 Bipolar

 Depressive

Anxiety and related disorders, although not classified as mood disorders, also affect mood.

Sadness and joy (elation) are part of everyday life. Sadness is a universal response to defeat,
disappointment, and other discouraging situations. Joy is a universal response to success, achievement,
and other encouraging situations. Grief, a form of sadness, is considered a normal emotional response
to a loss. Bereavement refers specifically to the emotional response to death of a loved one.

A mood disorder is diagnosed when sadness or elation is overly intense and persistent, is accompanied
by a requisite number of other mood disorder symptoms, and significantly impairs the person's capacity
to function. In such cases, intense sadness is termed depression, and intense elation is termed mania.
Depressive disorders are characterized by depression; bipolar disorders are characterized by varying
combinations of depression and mania.

Suicide in mood disorders

Lifetime risk of suicide for people with a depressive disorder is 2 to 15%, depending on severity of the
disorder. Risk is further increased in the following cases:

 At the start of treatment, when psychomotor activity is returning to normal but mood is still
dark

 During mixed bipolar states

 At personally significant anniversaries

 By severe anxiety

 By alcohol and substance use

 In the weeks to months after a suicide attempt, particularly one using a violent method

Other complications of mood disorders

Other complications of mood disorders include

 Disability ranging from mild to complete inability to function, maintain social interaction, and
participate in routine activities

 Impaired food intake

 Severe anxiety

 Alcohol use disorder

  Other substance use disorders

SOURCE: https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/psychiatric-disorders/mood-
disorders/overview-of-mood-disorders

signs and symptoms of the disorder

https://www.psychguides.com/mood-disorders/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mood-disorders/symptoms-causes/syc-20365057

TREATMENT

What are the different types of mood disorders?

These are the most common types of mood disorders:

 Major depression. Having less interest in usual activities, feeling sad or

hopeless, and other symptoms for at least 2 weeks may indicate depression.
 Dysthymia. This is a chronic, low-grade, depressed, or irritable mood that lasts
for at least 2 years.
 Bipolar disorder. This is a condition in which a person has periods of
depression alternating with periods of mania or elevated mood.
 Mood disorder related to another health condition. Many medical
illnesses (including cancer, injuries, infections, and chronic illnesses) can trigger
symptoms of depression.
 Substance-induced mood disorder. Symptoms of depression that are due
to the effects of medicine, drug abuse, alcoholism, exposure to toxins, or other
forms of treatment.

What causes mood disorders?

Many factors contribute to mood disorders. They are likely caused by an imbalance of
brain chemicals. Life events (such as stressful life changes) may also contribute to a
depressed mood. Mood disorders also tend to run in families.

Who is at risk for mood disorders?

Anyone can feel sad or depressed at times. However, mood disorders are more intense
and harder to manage than normal feelings of sadness. Children, teens, or adults who
have a parent with a mood disorder have a greater chance of also having a mood
disorder. However, life events and stress can expose or worsen feelings of sadness or
depression. This makes the feelings harder to manage.

Sometimes, life's problems can trigger depression. Being fired from a job, getting
divorced, losing a loved one, death in the family, and financial trouble, to name a few, all
can be difficult and coping with the pressure may be troublesome. These life events and
stress can bring on feelings of sadness or depression or make a mood disorder harder
to manage.

The risk of depression in women is nearly twice as high as it is for men. Once a person
in the family has this diagnosis, their brothers, sisters, or children have a higher chance
of the same diagnosis. In addition, relatives of people with depression are also at
increased risk for bipolar disorder .

Once a person in the family has a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, the chance for their
brothers, sisters, or children to have the same diagnosis is increased. Relatives of
people with bipolar are also at increased risk for depression.

What are the symptoms of mood disorders?

Depending on age and the type of mood disorder, a person may have different
symptoms of depression. The following are the most common symptoms of a mood
disorder:

 Ongoing sad, anxious, or “empty” mood

 Feeling hopeless or helpless
 Having low self-esteem
 Feeling inadequate or worthless
 Excessive guilt
 Repeating thoughts of death or suicide, wishing to die, or attempting suicide
(Note: People with this symptom should get treatment right away!)
 Loss of interest in usual activities or activities that were once enjoyed, including
sex
 Relationship problems
 Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
 Changes in appetite and/or weight
 Decreased energy
 Trouble concentrating
 A decrease in the ability to make decisions
 Frequent physical complaints (for example, headache, stomachache, or
tiredness) that don’t get better with treatment
 Running away or threats of running away from home
 Very sensitive to failure or rejection
 Irritability, hostility, or aggression
In mood disorders, these feelings are more intense than what a person may normally
feel from time to time. It’s also of concern if these feelings continue over time, or
interfere with one's interest in family, friends, community, or work. Any person who
expresses thoughts of suicide should get medical help right away.

The symptoms of mood disorders may look like other conditions or mental health
problems. Always talk with a healthcare provider for a diagnosis.

How are mood disorders diagnosed?

Mood disorders are a real medical disorder. A psychiatrist or other mental health
professional usually diagnoses mood disorders through a complete medical history and
psychiatric evaluation.

How are mood disorders treated?

Mood disorders can often be treated with success. Treatment may include:

 Antidepressant and mood stabilizing medicines—especially when

combined with psychotherapy have shown to work very well in the treatment of
depression
 Psychotherapy—most often cognitive-behavioral and/or interpersonal therapy.
This therapy is focused on changing the person’s distorted views of himself or
herself and the environment around him or her. It also helps to improve
interpersonal relationship skills, and identifying stressors in the environment and
how to avoid them
 Family therapy
 Other therapies, such as electroconvulsive therapy and transcranial
stimulation

Families play a vital supportive role in any treatment process.

When correctly diagnosed and treated, people with mood disorders can live, stable,
productive, healthy lives.

Can mood disorders be prevented?

At this time, there are no ways to prevent or reduce the incidence of mood disorders.
However, early diagnosis and treatment can reduce the severity of symptoms, enhance
the person’s normal growth and development, and improve the quality of life of people
with mood disorders.

Key points about mood disorders

  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 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.

SOURCE: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-
diseases/mood-disorders