What are Mood Disorders

mood disorders can be defined as a group of diagnoses wherein a disturbance in the person’s mood is hypothesized to be the mail underlying feature. The term mood disorder can also be called affective disorders.

Most common types of affective or mood disorders include major depression, dysthymic disorder (milder depressive disorder) and bipolar disorder.

Classification of types of mood disorders:

I. Depressive Disorder or Major Depressive Disorder (MDD):

Major depressive disorder is the most common type of mood disorder and is commonly known as major depression. It is a syndrome that reflects a sad and/or irritable mood exceeding normal sadness or grief. Individuals with depression are at an increased risk of suicide. Stress contributes to depression and thereafter an individual suffering from stress related problems entraps in mood disorders. In recent times, we can find more and more people suffering from mood disorders.

Signs and Symptoms:

Negative thoughts, behavior and moods
Changes in the bodily functions such as crying spells, body aches, decreased energy or libido.
Problems with eating, weight and/or sleeping.
II. Bipolar Disorders:

It is also called as manic depression. It is a condition in which people go back and forth between periods of a very good or irritable mood and depression. In most of the cases, even the near and dear ones fail to understand the sufferer’s condition and term him/her mentally ill.

Signs and Symptoms:

Easily distracted
Little need for sleep
Poor judgment
Poor temper control
Reckless behavior and lack of self control
Binge eating, drinking, and/or drug use
Poor judgment
Promiscuity
Spending sprees
Very elevated mood
Hyperactivity
Increased energy
Racing thoughts
Talking a lot
Very high self-esteem (false beliefs about self or abilities)
Very involved in activities
Very agitated or irritated
III. Substance Induced Disorder

If the etiology of the disorder can be traced to the direct physiologic effects of psychoactive drug or other chemical substance or if the disorder occurred contemporaneously with substance intoxication or withdrawal, it can be termed as Substance induced disorder.

Signs and Symptoms:

Sadness
Emptiness
Loss of interest and pleasure
Irritability and anger
Changes in appetite
Sleep problems
Restlessness
Slow movement and thinking
Fatigue
Worthlessness and guilt
Poor concentration
Thoughts about death and suicide.

Treatments for Mood Disorders

Common treatments include:

Antidepressant and Antipsychotic medications
Cognitive behavioral therapy to work on thought patterns and behavior
Family therapy to help develop support and understanding
Group therapy
Identification and treatment of coexisting conditions
Individual therapy
Mood-stabilizing medications
Psychodynamic therapy to work on discovering and understanding past issues and their relationship to current thoughts and behaviors
Support groups
Mood disorders that do not respond to medication and psychotherapy may need other treatments including:

Electroconvulsive therapy
Light therapy, in cases of seasonal affective disorder
Trans-cranial magnetic stimulation