What are mood disorders?

        A mood disorder is a mental health class that health professionals use to broadly describe all types of depression and bipolar disorders.

        Children, teens, and adults can have mood disorders. However, children and teens don’t always have the same symptoms as adults. It’s harder to diagnose mood disorders in children because they aren’t always able to express how they feel.

        Therapy, antidepressants, and support and self-care can help treat mood disorders.

Types of Mood Disorders

• Depression
• Dysthymia
• Bipolar Disorder
• Conduct Disorder
• Suicidal Thoughts

Depression

       Clinical depression goes by many names -- depression, "the blues," biological depression, major depression. But it all refers to the same thing: feeling sad and depressed for weeks or months on end (not just a passing blue mood). This feeling is most often accompanied by feelings of hopelessness, a lack of energy (or feeling "weighed down"), and taking little or no pleasure in things that gave you joy in the past. A person who's depressed just "can't get moving" and feels completely unmotivated to do just about anything. Even simple things -- like getting dressed in the morning or eating -- become large obstacles in daily life.

       Depression is readily treated nowadays with modern antidepressant medications and short-term, goal-oriented psychotherapy.

Symptoms of Depression:

• Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood
• Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness
• Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed, including sex
• Decreased energy, fatigue, being "slowed down"
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
• Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
• Appetite and/or weight loss or overeating and weight gain
• Thoughts of death or suicide; suicide attempts
• Restlessness, irritability
• Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain

Dysthymia

       Persistent depressive disorder, also called dysthymia (dis-THIE-me-uh), is a continuous long-term (chronic) form of depression. You may lose interest in normal daily activities, feel hopeless, lack productivity, and have low self-esteem and an overall feeling of inadequacy. These feelings last for years and may significantly interfere with your relationships, school, work and daily activities.

       If you have persistent depressive disorder, you may find it hard to be upbeat even on happy occasions — you may be described as having a gloomy personality, constantly complaining or incapable of having fun. Though persistent depressive disorder is not as severe as major depression, your current depressed mood may be mild, moderate or severe.

Because of the chronic nature of persistent depressive disorder, coping with depression symptoms can be challenging, but a combination of talk therapy (psychotherapy) and medication can be effective in treating this condition.

Bipolar Disorder

       Bipolar disorder, also known by its older name "manic depression," is a mental disorder that is characterized by serious mood swings. A person with bipolar disorder experiences alternating “highs” (what clinicians call “mania“) and “lows” (also known as depression). Both the manic and depressive periods can be brief, from just a few hours to a few days, or longer, lasting up to several weeks or even months. The periods of mania and depression vary from person to person — many people may only experience very brief periods of these intense moods, and may not even be aware that they have bipolar disorder.

Symptoms of Mania (Bipolar Disorder):

• Abnormal or excessive elation
• Unusual irritability
• Decreased need for sleep
• Grandiose notions
• Increased talking
• Racing thoughts
• Increased sexual desire
• Markedly increased energy
• Poor judgment
• Inappropriate social behaviour

Conduct Disorder:

       The essential feature of Conduct Disorder is a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior by a child or teenager in which the basic rights of others or major age-appropriate societal norms or rules are violated. These behaviors fall into four main groupings: aggressive conduct that causes or threatens physical harm to other people or animals, nonaggressive conduct that causes property loss or damage, deceitfulness or theft, and serious violations of rules time and time again.

       Diagnosis of Conduct Disorder: Conduct Disorder is characterized by arepetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of others or major age-appropriate societal norms or rules are violated, as manifested by the presence of three (or more) of the following criteria in the past 12 months, with at least one criterion present in the past 6 months:

Aggression with people and animals:

• often initiates physical fights
• often bullies, threatens, or intimidates others.
• has used a weapon that can cause serious physical harm to others (e.g., a bat, brick, broken bottle, knife, gun).
• has been physically cruel to people.
• has been physically cruel to animals.
• has stolen while confronting a victim (e.g., mugging, purse snatching, extortion, armed robbery).
• has forced someone into sexual activity

Destruction of property:

• has deliberately engaged in fire setting with the intention of causing serious damage.
• has deliberately destroyed others’ property (other than by fire setting)

Deceitfulness or theft:

• has broken into someone else’s house, building, or car
• often lies to obtain goods or favors or to avoid obligations (i.e., “cons” others)
• has stolen items of nontrivial value without confronting a victim (e.g., shoplifting, but without breaking and entering; forgery)

Serious violations of rules:

• often stays out at night despite parental prohibitions, beginning before age 13 years.
• has run away from home overnight at least twice while living in parental or parental surrogate home (or once without returning for a lengthy period)
• is often truant from school, beginning before age 13 years.

       The disturbance in behavior causes clinically significant impairment in social, academic, or occupational functioning.

Suicidal Thoughts

       If you are having suicidal thoughts, no matter how much pain you’re experiencing right now, you’re not alone. Many of us have had suicidal thoughts at some point in our lives. Feeling suicidal is not a character defect, and it doesn’t mean that you are crazy, or weak, or flawed. It only means that you have more pain than you can cope with right now. But with time and support, you can overcome your problems and the pain and suicidal feelings will pass.

       Some of the finest, most admired, needed, and talented people have been where you are now. Many of us have thought about taking our own lives when we’ve felt overwhelmed by depression and devoid of all hope. But the pain of depression can be treated and hope can be renewed. No matter what your situation, there are people who need you, places where you can make a difference, and experiences that can remind you that life is worth living. It takes real courage to face death and step back from the brink. You can use that courage to face life, to learn coping skills for overcoming depression, and for finding the strength to keep going.

Remember:

1. Your emotions are not fixed – they are constantly changing. How you feel today may not be the same as how you felt yesterday or how you’ll feel tomorrow or next week.
2. Your absence would create grief and anguish in the lives of friends and loved ones.
3. There are many things you can still accomplish in your life.
4. There are sights, sounds, and experiences in life that have the ability to delight and lift you – and that you would miss.
5. Your ability to experience pleasurable emotions is equal to your ability to experience distressing emotions.

To get help, call 1-800-273-8255 immediately.