A mood disorder is a type of mental illness that affects a person's overall emotional state. Mood disorders can dramatically impact day-to-day life and make normal activities difficult. The two main types of mood disorders are depression and bipolar disorder.
Depression involves long-lasting feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest in activities. Symptoms of depression may include:
Bipolar disorder involves shifts between high and low mood episodes. Symptoms of bipolar disorder may include:
While the exact causes of mood disorders are complex, they often involve a combination of biological and environmental factors. Brain chemistry, genetics, hormonal changes, and stressful life events may contribute. Fortunately, mood disorders are treatable with a comprehensive approach involving medication, psychotherapy, and lifestyle changes. If you are struggling with feelings of depression or mania, please reach out to a mental health professional. Help is available.
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How are mood disorders diagnosed?
Mood disorders are typically diagnosed by a mental health professional like a psychiatrist through a clinical evaluation. The evaluation considers symptoms, family history, sleep and eating patterns, alcohol/drug use, physical health, and thoughts of suicide. From the evaluation, the doctor can determine if diagnostic criteria are met for a specific mood disorder like major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder, or bipolar I or II.
Psychological assessments may be used to supplement a clinical interview and further evaluate mood symptoms, personality traits, behavior patterns, and cognitive function. Some common psychological tests used in diagnosing mood disorders include:
Medical tests can also help rule out physical causes contributing to mood disorder symptoms. For example, blood tests can check hormone levels and brain imaging assessments like MRI or CT scans allow doctors to examine the brain's structure and function.
Accurately diagnosing a mood disorder is an important first step to finding the right treatment plan. While it may take some trial and error to land on the ideal combination of psychotherapy, medication, and lifestyle changes, the good news is that today's treatments can effectively manage mood disorder symptoms when properly diagnosed.