Mood Disorder

What Are Mood Disorders?

Mood disorders are mental health conditions characterized by excessively low or high mood. Mood disorders are not primarily characterized by an unstable mood, although mood swings can be a symptom of a mood-related mental health issue.

When a person struggles with a mood disorder, their mood or state of mind does not match their circumstances or does not respond to their environment. For example, someone with a mood disorder may feel irrationally sad even when they have no explicit reason to and would often be unable to explain why they feel low. They may also feel low for weeks, months, or in some cases years at a time, with only short-term breaks from the sadness.

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Are All Mood Disorders Depression?

Mood disorders are not just characterized by sadness. Excessive energy and self-esteem, especially when uncharacteristic or random, can also be a symptom of a mood disorder. This is called mania, and it is a characteristic of bipolar disorder.

Mania can be dangerous, because it can cause loss of inhibition and risk assessment, leading to unintentional self-harm or high-risk behavior. Many episodes of severe mania end in a visit to the emergency room. In addition to an extremely elevated mood, mania is also characterized by delusions of grandeur, sleeplessness, and in some cases, psychosis (hallucinations/break from reality).

Some cases of bipolar disorder experience hypomanic episodes, rather than full mania. Hypomania is less severe, usually characterized by restlessness and elevated self-esteem without the risk of unintentional self-harm. However, cases of hypomania are more often coupled with episodes of severe depression. Many cases of bipolar switch between phases of mania and depression.

Do All Mood Disorders Require the Same Treatment?

While mood disorders cover a variety of conditions, each has its own recommended treatment options, and each person receives their own bespoke treatment plan. Even among depressive conditions, treatment options vary wildly depending on the type of depression a person is experiencing.

Some people experiencing premenstrual dysphoric disorder experience a relief in depressive symptoms while on birth control – others experience worsening symptoms. Manic conditions like bipolar disorder require mood stabilizers in addition to antidepressants for depressive episodes. One mood disorder, seasonal affective disorder, can be treated with the help of a lamp that simulates sunlight.

Can Grief Become a Mood Disorder?

Grief can trigger mood disorders. We all grieve in our own way, and mourning a loved one can take years, even if the feelings of grief become intermittent with time. Mental health professionals take great care not to pathologize the human experience, and not all instances of severe emotional pain are immediately a sign of a mental health condition.

In many unfortunate circumstances, mental anguish is a normal and even healthy part of the human experience, an indication of our empathy and capacity for love, and a crucial part of what it means to be human.

But when grief turns into complicated grief, it can become the trigger for a long-term depressive episode, becoming the straw that breaks the proverbial camel’s back.