Mood Disorders Also known as affective disorders What

Mood Disorders Also known as affective disorders.

What are mood disorders? Significant and chronic disruption in mood. Causes impaired cognitive, behavioral, and physical functioning. Different from regular moods: last longer, more intense, and happen without cause.

Who gets mood disorders? Lots of people (about 12 million Americans each year). More common in women. Greatest risk occurs between ages 15– 24 and 35– 44. Over 50% of people who suffered from a mood disorder will have another one later.

Major Depressive Disorder Feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and guilt – disconnected from other people. Behavior: frowning, crying, looking down, loss of interest in usual activities, including sex and eating. Thinking: trouble concentrating and remembering, negative thoughts, suicidal thoughts, preoccupation with death. Physical: changes in appetite, constipation, insomnia, oversleeping, aches and pain.

Bipolar Disorder Alternate between depression and over-excitied state of mania. Mania is marked by hyperactivity, wild optimism, feel “on top of the world”. Behavior of mania: rapid-fire speech, spending sprees, illegal acts, not sleeping for days. Often misdiagnosed as major depressive disorder.

Other mood disorders Dysthymic Disorder: “depression junior” Cyclothymic Disorder: “bipolar junior” Seasonal Affective Disorder: involves periods of depression during the fall and winter and stop in the spring and summer.