Mood disorders
What is a Mood Disorder?
According to research*, approximately 20.9 million adult Americans, or about 9.5 percent of the U.S. adult population, have a mood disorder in a given year. The two main types of mood disorder are depression (both major depressive and dysthymic disorders) and bipolar disorder (formerly known as manic depression).
Bipolar disorder is characterized by dramatic mood swings, from super-high to very low periods – sometimes with a period of normalcy in between. A person with bipolar disorder will also experience striking changes in behavior and energy that coincide with the changes in mood.
What are the symptoms of Bipolar Disorder?
The National Institute for Mental Health lists the symptoms of a mania, or manic episode, below:
• Increased energy, activity, and restlessness
• Excessively “high,” overly good, euphoric mood
• Extreme irritability
• Racing thoughts and talking very fast, jumping from one idea to another
• Distractibility, can’t concentrate well
• Little sleep needed
• Unrealistic beliefs in one’s abilities and powers
• Poor judgment
• Spending sprees
• A lasting period of behavior that is different from usual
• Increased sexual drive
• Abuse of drugs, particularly cocaine, alcohol, and sleeping medications
• Provocative, intrusive, or aggressive behavior
• Denial that anything is wrong
(Note that it’s a manic episode if the elevated mood occurs with three or more symptoms, most of the day, nearly every day, for a week or more. If the person’s mood is irritable, four or more symptoms must be present.)
Symptoms of depression (or a depressive episode) include:
• Lasting sad, anxious, or empty mood
• Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
• Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed, including sex
• Decreased energy, a feeling of fatigue or of being “slowed down”
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
• Restlessness or irritability
• Sleeping too much, or can’t sleep
• Change in appetite and/or unintended weight loss or gain
• Chronic pain or other persistent bodily symptoms that are not caused by physical illness or injury
• Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts
(A diagnosis of depression, or a depressive episode, is made when five or more of the above symptoms are present for most of the day, every day, for two weeks or more.)
How can The Treatment Center Help?
With our full staff of dedicated, experienced mental health professionals, The Treatment Center is equipped to treat your mood disorder. Whether you’re experiencing depression or have symptoms of bipolar disorder, we can prescribe medications and provide you with psychotherapy – and, perhaps most importantly, walk with you on your journey toward improved mental health.
We can help you.
Please contact us at 877-392-3342 for a free confidential assessment and discussion of the different options available to you.
* Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, Walters EE. Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of twelve-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Archives of General Psychiatry, 2005 Jun;62(6):617-27.
