Key Takeaways
Mood Disorders affect your emotional state, where you can experience long periods of emotions like happiness, irritability, or sadness.
Symptoms of mood disorders can include decreased need for sleep, racing thoughts, difficulty focusing, and more, apart from elevated persistent feelings.
Treatment ranges from joining therapy and support groups to taking prescribed medication.
Mood disorders are often confused with mood swings, but they are a complicated mental health condition that requires proper treatment and support from mental health professionals. Following, we will answer questions ranging from what mood disorders and their symptoms to how they are treated.
What are Mood Disorders?
Mood disorders are mental health conditions that can affect your emotional state by causing feelings of persistent sadness, anger, happiness, and other similar emotions. For instance, you might find yourself feeling extremely sad for no apparent reason, or you might feel an intense burst of energy and enthusiasm that is not in line with the situation. These conditions can change your behavior pattern and interfere with your daily routine, making it challenging to perform different tasks.
Some popular mood disorders include Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, and Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder.
Though it’s normal for anyone’s mood to change in their daily life due to a situation, to diagnose a mood disorder, the symptoms must be persistent for several weeks. This is an important distinction to make, as it helps you differentiate between a temporary change in mood and a potential mood disorder that requires professional attention.
Symptoms of Mood Disorders
There are varied patterns of symptoms of different mood disorders, but generally, aside from affecting your mood, they can also cause disturbances to your sleeping, thinking, and eating behaviors as well.
Here are the most common mood disorder symptoms:
- Feeling sad most of the time or nearly every day
- Persistent feelings of sadness
- Feeling agitated or irritated
- Feeling extremely enthusiastic
- Lack of energy
- Feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness
- Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed
- Difficulty concentrating/focusing
- Racing thoughts
- Rapid speech
- Insomnia
- Change in sleeping pattern, like trouble sleeping or feeling refreshed after just a few hours of sleep.
- Feeling extremely adventurous
- Overeating or loss of appetite
- Suicidal thoughts
And more.
Dr. Arvind Otta, a clinical psychologist, lecturer, and author, quotes:
“Mental and physical health are connected. People with long-term physical health conditions, such as chronic pain, are much more likely to develop mood disorders. Similarly, people with mood disorder are at higher risk of developing chronic physical illnesses, so do not ignore any problems that could be physical as well as mental.”
If you think that you are suffering from any mood disorder, then you can fill out a questionnaire for the same, which will help a mental health professional assess your mental health condition.
Treatment of Mood Disorders
If you have a mood disorder, then your doctor(s) will suggest different forms of treatment according to the severity of the condition and your preferences. By seeking the following treatment modalities, you can heal with time.
1. Seeking Therapy
Different forms of counseling, like individual and family therapy sessions, can help you understand your condition as mental health professionals understand your thoughts and behaviors. They can suggest coping mechanisms, such as body concentration and deep breathing activities, to help you cope with the symptoms.
In talking about the treatment of mood disorders through therapy, Dr. Ankur Saraiya, MD, a holistic psychiatrist, quotes:-
“Patients often come to me thinking that they are just going to get a prescription, but then we end up working on issues related to personal relationships, careers, and, of course, psychological and physical health. I am also happy to work collaboratively with patients who already have a therapist focusing on just medication or provide a holistic evaluation for patients who may already have a psychiatrist but may want to consider other modalities other than medication.”
2. Medication
Medication is required and adjusted to the level of severity of one’s mood disorder. It is not a necessary treatment and can be prescribed to those who haven’t responded much to therapy on its own.
Antidepressants like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) assist with the symptoms of mood disorders like depression and mania.
If antidepressants alone aren’t sufficient to manage your condition, a mental health professional can also prescribe mood stabilizers and antipsychotic medications like neuroleptics, lithium, and anticonvulsant drugs.
3. Healthy Lifestyle changes
Positive lifestyle interventions can play an essential role in managing not only your mood disorders but also your overall well-being.
Proper lifestyle routines, like regular exercise, following a sleep schedule, and eating a balanced diet, can improve your mood! When you are active and your day is filled with positive tasks, it can also help reduce the symptoms of mood disorders. Your doctor can also recommend reducing the intake of alcohol and smoking to help make positive changes in life.
These lifestyle changes are not just good for your physical health, but they can also have a positive impact on your mental health. For example, regular exercise has been shown to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, and getting enough sleep can help stabilize your mood and improve your ability to cope with stress.
4. Joining a Support Group
Joining a support or community group can be a lifeline for those experiencing mood disorders. These groups provide a safe space to connect with others who are going through similar situations, offering not just emotional support but also a sense of validation. This connection can help alleviate feelings of isolation and make you feel understood.
Building a network of friends and family members who understand your condition can also be beneficial, as they will provide you with support in your journey.
5. Evidence-based Therapies
When it comes to treating mood disorders, mental health professionals often recommend evidence-based therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). These therapies have been proven to be effective in managing the symptoms of mood disorders, instilling confidence in the treatment options available.
According to a study, it has been found that CBT and Antidepressant Medications (ADM) are equally effective for treating mood disorders, especially depression.
6. Mindfulness-Based Interventions
Self-care or mindfulness activities like meditation, breathing exercises, journaling, yoga, and more can make you calm down and emotionally and mentally aware. These self-care activities can make you feel relaxed and take account of your surroundings.
Conclusion
Mood disorders are some of the most challenging mental health conditions. They can disturb your day-to-day life. Fortunately, with treatments like psychotherapy, medications, and a supportive background, you can manage your symptoms and live a healthy life.
Seeking help from the start as you see your symptoms appear can help provide better and faster treatment for the patient. If you suspect that you might be experiencing a mood disorder, don’t hesitate to reach out to a mental health professional. They can help you understand your symptoms, make a diagnosis, and develop a treatment plan that is tailored to your needs.
