Mood Disorders Treatment

A mood disorder is a complex condition that significantly affects a person’s life and can cause distress in many areas of functioning. Someone with this condition often experiences long periods of extreme emotional highs and lows, which can happen to children, teens, and adults.

Standard treatment procedures involve a combination of medication, talk therapy, and lifestyle changes, which aim to improve emotional state and functioning.

If you or someone you know is struggling with a mood disorder, it is highly recommended that you seek professional help to manage your symptoms better and prevent the condition from progressing. Treatment centres, like PROMIS, can assist you in reclaiming your mental wellness.

Understanding Mood Disorders

Mood disorders are a group of mental health conditions that affect a person’s emotional state, causing them to experience long periods of happiness, sadness, or extreme mood swings. This category includes conditions like depression and bipolar disorder.

People with mood disorders often face a lower quality of life. During depressive episodes, they might feel irritable, worthless, or lose interest in activities they usually enjoy. They may also have thoughts or actions related to suicide. In contrast, during manic episodes, they can feel excessively energetic, have racing thoughts, and speak much faster than normal.

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Common Signs and Symptoms of Mood Disorders

The signs and symptoms of mood disorders are categorised into depressive and manic. If you have a mood disorder, you may experience one or both of these symptoms depending on the specific type and nature of your condition.

Depressive Symptoms

A major depressive episode lasts for at least two weeks and involves intense sadness or lack of interest in activities that used to be enjoyable. These may be accompanied by feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fatigue, sleep and eating problems, restlessness, difficulty in concentration, and frequent thoughts of death or suicide.

Manic Symptoms

In a manic episode, you may feel very energetic or easily annoyed for most of the day, nearly every day for at least one week. During this time, it may also be accompanied by a decreased need for sleep, faster speech, uncontrollable racing thoughts, distractibility, restlessness, and an increase in risky or impulsive behaviours such as reckless driving or buying sprees.

In some cases, you may also experience hypomania. It is a milder manic symptom that persists for four consecutive days, as opposed to the one-week duration required for a full manic episode. Unlike manic symptoms, hypomanic symptoms typically do not result in significant disruptions to daily functioning.

Manic Symptoms

Types of Mood Disorders

Mood disorders refer to a category of mental health issues, often referred to as affective disorders. Some of the common types include:

Major Depressive Disorder

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a severe, prolonged state of sadness that affects major areas of life. It can lead to many other symptoms, such as insomnia or hypersomnia, change of appetite, excessive energy, or a loss of energy. The symptoms must be present for a minimum of two weeks for you to be clinically diagnosed with MDD.

You may also experience a decline in your ability to do work or school, which can lead to social isolation. In severe cases, some people with major depression may have repeated thoughts of death or suicide.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of mood disorder that occurs in the winter months. The symptoms include feeling down, hopeless, irritable, and both eating and sleeping difficulties.

Persistent Depressive Disorder

When you have mild to moderate symptoms of depression, and they persist for two years or more, you are likely having a Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD) or Dysthymia. This condition is often misdiagnosed because it can look like other mental illnesses or even chronic medical conditions.

Bipolar Disorders

Bipolar disorders are mental health conditions marked by alternating periods of extreme emotional states that influence an individual’s mood, energy levels, and overall functioning. This can last from several days to weeks, which are referred to as mood episodes.

Those mood episodes can be classified as mania or hypomania, when the dominant mood involves heightened happiness or irritability, or as depressive episodes, when you experience profound sadness or a loss of interest in activities.

Substance-Induced Mood Disorder

Substance-induced mood disorders are mental health conditions that affect an individual’s mood, arising from the physiological impacts of various substances or specific medications.

We offer a wide range of mental health programmes to suit everyone’s needs. This includes counselling for depression or anxiety, a 24-hour telephone helpline, and a range of workshops.

What Causes Mood Disorders

The exact cause of mood disorders remains unknown. However, the condition is linked to changes in the brain, chemical imbalances, genetics, certain health issues, and the use of drugs, making an individual more susceptible to acquiring the condition.

Some research has shown people with mood disorders have larger brain areas than normal, such as the amygdala, which plays a role in managing emotions. Mood disorders can also occur when brain chemicals like serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine are not balanced. In some cases, drugs like cocaine can trigger the development of a mood disorder.

Mood Disorders Treatment

There is a wide range of treatment options available for mood disorders. Depending on your specific condition or diagnosis, symptoms, and response to intervention, a personalised treatment plan can be developed that suits your needs. Some of these treatments may include:

Medication

The medication for treating mood disorders varies from person to person. Two individuals with the same condition might react differently to the same drug. Some of the common treatments for mood disorders include antidepressants and mood stabilisers.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy, often referred to as talk therapy, is another effective treatment for mood disorders. While it does not cure the disorder entirely, it can assist you in managing your symptoms, reducing stress, recognizing triggers, and coping with daily challenges constructively. The most recommended therapy for these conditions includes cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

Lifestyle Change

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) are a group of antidepressant drugs that have been used for many years to treat different forms of depression. Even though they are among the oldest antidepressants, MAOIs are still an important choice, especially for patients who do not improve with other treatments.

Inpatient Programs

People who have mood disorders can also benefit from inpatient or residential programs. Inpatient care gives them constant support, medical help, and supervision in a structured setting. This type of program may also help you to fully concentrate on your recovery by being away from daily stressors or triggers that can worsen mood symptoms.

Get Your Mood Disorder Treated At PROMIS

A mood disorder is not just a simple mood change; it impacts nearly every part of life. If you want to understand mood disorders better or look into treatment options for yourself or someone else, our mental health professionals in PROMIS are ready to support you.

Our treatment centre is a facility that provides a safe and effective way for those with mood disorders to gain the emotional support needed for recovery. Feel free to contact us to begin your journey.