Recognizing mood disorders and treating them

Life is a roller coaster ride of emotions. When one day you experience happiness after achievement in your personal life, you may feel down due to tensions at work the other day. Such uncertain fluctuations in your mood, categorized as disorders, can impact your daily life and social interactions.

A mood disorder is known as a mental health class, represented by disruptions in emotions such as depression (severe lows) and hypomania (severe highs). Mood disorders are also known as affective disorders which can be noticed through facial expressions and gestures.

People of all age groups can experience mood disorders. However, it is difficult to diagnose mood disorders in children as they are not able to express their emotions like adults. This is treatable through counseling, medicines, professional support and self-care.

There are three major conditions of mood disorders:

Depression: You may experience depression when you lack interest in usual activities and feel sad, negative and hopeless for several days.

Manic: You experience an unusual rise in mood or energy with feelings of euphoria for a certain number of days.

Bipolar: Bipolar mood disorders cycle between depression and manic moods.

Other states of mood disorders may be caused by underlying health issues such as cancer or HIV or stages of substance use.

Causes and effects of mood disorders

A wide variety of biological and environmental factors such as major life events can cause mood disorders. In due course, mood disorders can negatively impact your personal and professional life.

Observable symptoms

A person may experience different symptoms of mood disorders in accordance with their age and life activities. According to experts, some symptoms may look like mental health problems. Therefore, it is important to consult a healthcare provider for a timely diagnosis. Some of the visible symptoms include:

• Loss of interest in everyday activities

• Low self-esteem

• Low energy

• Feeling helpless or hopeless

• Intense guild

• Repeated thoughts of suicide

• Self-harm behavior

• Sleeping issues

• Changes in appetite

• Degrading physical health

• Irritability and aggression

• Problems in personal relationships

• Increased substance abuse

Recognizing mood disorder

If a person is struggling with any of the above mentioned symptoms, they should seek necessary professional help and support from a medical expert.

Mood disorders are observed as medical disorders. Therefore, it is important to get mood disorders diagnosed by a mental health professional for a psychiatric evaluation.

A significant number of people ignore calls for help when repercussions of mood disorders impact their everyday life. Professional help can assist them in coping with mood disorder symptoms and leading a healthy life.

Potential treatments

Mental health treatment depends on the symptoms experienced by the individual. Noting that no one person experiences the same mood disorders, mental health professionals attempt to create unique environmental conditions to treat people.

Significantly, individualized treatment plans are relevant for the productive recovery of people struggling with mood disorders.

Some of the noted treatment methods for people with mood disorders include

Psychotherapy: It is one of the most successful ways to treat mood disorders. Focused on addressing and revamping disturbed views of affected people, interpersonal or cognitive-behavioral therapy can help people in improving their relationship skills and overall moods.

Mood stabilizing medicines and antidepressants: When combined with psychotherapy, medicines can help in treating signs of depression and anxiety.

Other therapies such as family counseling, electroconvulsive therapy and transcranial stimulation.

There're no causes of mood disorders. If left untreated, they can result in staggering changes in your everyday life. Therefore, consult a therapist or mental health professional as soon as notice symptoms of mood disorders for appropriate and timely treatment.