Mood disorders impact your emotional state by distorting your feelings and affecting your behaviour. While it is normal to experience highs and lows in your moods, a mood disorder is typically characterised by prolonged extreme sadness or extreme happiness, or both.
The symptoms of mood disorders vary and can often be mistaken for other common mental health disorders, so it is necessary to see a mental health practitioner when you start to experience symptoms that affect your behaviour, happiness and quality of life.
Common symptoms of depression:
Depression caused by medication or substance abuse:
Symptoms of bipolar disorder differ depending on whether you have a depressive or manic episode. A depressive episode includes symptoms of depression, but a manic episode includes the following symptoms:
Bipolar disorder: Bipolar disorder is characterised by depressive and manic episodes, or extreme lows and highs. Depressive episodes often resemble the symptoms of clinical depression, but they alternate with manic episodes that include an elevated mood and high energy levels.
Clinical depression: Depression can often result in response to grief over losing a loved one, a traumatic event or other difficult times in your life. However, it is only classified as major or clinical when the symptoms are prolonged, even when stressors are no longer impacting your life.
Persistent depression (dysthymia): Persistent depressive disorder or dysthymia has the same symptoms as clinical depression but lasts for at least two years. During this time, symptoms may lessen, but they are typically constant.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD): Seasonal affective disorder presents the same symptoms as major depression but only occurs during certain seasons of the year. The most common seasons during which people experience SAD are autumn and winter, but some get symptoms in spring and summer too.
Cyclothymic disorder: Cyclothymic disorder or cyclothymia is considered a milder form of bipolar disorder. Those with cyclothymia experience erratic mood swings over a long period and are only diagnosed after two years of symptoms.
Postpartum depression: Postpartum depression is depression that a woman experiences during pregnancy or after delivery. Mothers with this type of depression experience the same symptoms as clinical depression.
Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder: Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder is a mental health condition that affects children by causing frequent outbursts and chronic irritability.
Several factors contribute to mood disorders, including genetic, environmental, social and others. Some of the more common causes include:
I am equipped to treat several mood disorders and help you manage your symptoms. Your treatment plan will depend on your presenting symptoms and disorder.
