Treatment for Mood Disorders

A mood disorder is a type of mental health condition that predominantly affects a person’s emotional state. It is a condition in which a person has periods of intense happiness, severe despair, or both.

It is natural for someone’s mood to shift based on the circumstances. However, symptoms of a mood disorder must be present for many weeks or more in order to be identified. Mood disorders can alter your behavior and impair your ability to deal with everyday tasks like work or school.

People with mood disorders can live stable, productive, and enjoy a healthy quality of life if they receive early diagnosis and treatment. Treatment is determined by the type of mental disorder identified and the symptoms.

Types of Mood Disorders

Depression and bipolar illness are two of the most common mood disorders. Let us go through these illnesses as well as some of their various subtypes.

Depression

Depression (also called Clinical or Major Depression) is a common mental illness. Grief or being in a depressed mood is a normal response to a painful life event or crisis, such as the death of a spouse or family member, job loss, or significant medical illness. However, if the depression persists long after stressful circumstances have passed or there is no obvious explanation, physicians would define depression as a type of mood disorder labeled as clinical or serious depression. Depressive symptoms must last at least two weeks for a person to be diagnosed.

Types of Depression

Depression may be classified into several types. Depressive symptoms may differ depending on the type of this mental disorder.

Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression, or peripartum depression, is a kind of depressive illness that arises during pregnancy or after childbirth.

Persistent Depressive Disorder

Persistent depressive disorder or dysthymic disorder is a chronic form of depressive illness that can linger for at least two years. During this period, symptoms of the dysthymic disorder may infrequently become less severe.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a kind of depressive illness that occurs only during particular times of the year. It usually begins in late fall or early winter and lasts into the spring or summer. SAD depressive episodes can also start in the late spring or summer, though this is less common. Winter seasonal affective disorder symptoms might be similar to those of serious depressive symptoms. During the spring and summer, they tend to fade or diminish.

Psychotic Depression

Psychotic depression is a severe form of depression that is accompanied by psychotic episodes such as hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that others do not) or delusions (having fixed but false beliefs). Depressive episodes can be frightening or unsettling, and they frequently have a theme.

Medication, Medical Condition, or Substance-Induced Mood Disorder

Depressive symptoms are caused by medication, substance misuse, alcoholism, exposure to chemicals, or other types of therapy.

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder or manic-depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by mood fluctuations ranging from sadness to mania. Their symptoms may match those of clinical depression. Manic episodes or Mania alternate with depressive periods. A person experiencing a manic episode may feel happy, irritable, or have heightened levels of activity.

Types of Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is classified into four categories:

Bipolar I (Affective Disorder)

Bipolar I is the most severe kind. Manic episodes usually last at least seven days and might be severe enough to necessitate hospitalization. Depressive episodes will also occur, and they will usually last at least two weeks. Symptoms of both mania and bipolar depression might appear at the same time.

Bipolar II

Bipolar II disorder creates depressive cycles comparable to bipolar I. Bipolar patients suffering from this disorder may also experience hypomania, a milder version of mania. Hypomanic episodes are less severe and disruptive than manic ones. Bipolar patients with bipolar II conditions are typically able to perform daily activities and do not need to be hospitalized.

Cyclothymia Disorder

Cyclothymia disorder is described as a lesser variant of bipolar disorder. For lengthy periods of time, people with cyclothymia suffer continuous unpredictable mood fluctuations ranging from mild to moderate emotional “highs” to mild to moderate emotional “lows.” Furthermore, mood swings can occur abruptly and at any time. There are only brief times of normalcy. For an adult to be diagnosed with cyclothymic disorder, symptoms must have been present for at least two years. The symptoms of this mental disorder must last at least one year in children and teenagers.

Other/Unspecified Bipolar Disorder

The symptoms of this form of bipolar illness do not fulfill the criteria for the other categories, yet persons nevertheless experience major, abnormal mood fluctuations. 

Furthermore, many patients have bipolar disorder in conjunction with another mental problem or condition, such as anxiety disorder, drug abuse, or an eating issue.

Other Mood Disorders

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

The premenstrual dysphoric disorder begins seven to ten days before menstruation and disappears within a few days of the menstrual cycle beginning. Researchers believe this disorder is caused by hormonal changes associated with the menstrual cycle. Anger, irritation, stress, decreased interest in daily activities, and sleep issues are some of the symptoms.

Intermittent Explosive Disorder

Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) is a lesser-known mood illness characterized by outbursts of uncontrollable rage. It’s also known as “flying into a fury for no cause.” The behavioral outbursts of an individual with the intermittent explosive disorder are out of proportion to the circumstances.

Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder

A chronic, severe, and persistent irritability problem in children, characterized by frequent temper outbursts that are incongruous with the child’s developmental age.

Treatment of Mood Disorders

Treatment will be determined by the exact sickness and symptoms present. Typically, treatment consists of a mix of medicine and psychotherapy (commonly known as “talk therapy”). A psychologist, psychiatrist, or another health professional may conduct therapy sessions.

Antidepressants, Mood Stabilizers, and Antipsychotics

There are several drugs available for the treatment of depression and bipolar disorder depressive episodes. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are among the most often used medications (SSRIs). Tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and tetracyclic antidepressants are examples of older antidepressants. Although many forms of antidepressants have been demonstrated to perform equally well, some may be more beneficial depending on the individual. 

Mood stabilizers aid in the regulation of mood fluctuations associated with bipolar illness and other diseases. They diminish aberrant brain activity. In rare circumstances, mood stabilizers may be taken alongside antidepressants. Lithium and anticonvulsant medications are two of the most commonly used mood stabilizers. 

Atypical antipsychotics, such as aripiprazole, may be used to treat patients with bipolar disorders who are experiencing mania or mixed episodes. If symptoms of depression are not managed by an antidepressant alone, atypical antipsychotics may be utilized.

Types of Psychotherapies

During psychotherapy, a depressed person speaks with a licensed and trained mental health professional who assists the person in identifying and working through the issues that may be producing the depression. Patients suffering from depression or other mood disorders may benefit from different forms of psychotherapy or counseling.

Types of psychotherapies include the following:

  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy
  • Interpersonal therapy
  • Problem-solving therapy

Brain stimulation treatments are hypothesized to function by generating changes in brain chemicals that have been linked to symptoms of depression and bipolar disorder.

There are several forms of brain stimulation therapy:

  • Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) – ECT has long been used to treat severe depression or bipolar disorder when medicine and psychotherapy have failed. A patient is put under general anesthesia and given a muscle relaxant before getting ECT. Electrodes are inserted in certain areas of the scalp or forehead. To cause a seizure, an electric current is sent through the brain. After five to ten minutes, the patient wakes. The ECT treatments can be done as an outpatient procedure. 
  • Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) – A magnetic coil is used to deliver brief electromagnetic pulses to target nerve cells in the brain. The magnet is placed against the forehead, and pulses are sent through the skull. The surgery is used to treat individuals with serious depression who have not responded to at least one antidepressant medication. 

Light therapy has long been used to treat seasonal affective disorder. It is based on the concept of supplementing natural sunshine with intense artificial light. Patients can benefit from a light box that emits cool-white fluorescent light. Each morning, the individual is exposed to artificial light for 20 to 60 minutes. The light is approximately 20 times brighter than standard indoor lighting. 

A mood disorder may have an impact on every area of a family (emotional, physical, and financial). Medicine, psychotherapy, family therapy, or a combination of medication and therapy are the most common treatments for mood disorders.

Get the best Mood Disorder Treatment at Milestone Health and Wellness

If you have been experiencing depressive symptoms, manic episodes, elevated mood, irritable mood, or other indications of psychiatric disorders, it is best to seek help. Milestone Health and Wellness is capable of providing you with treatment for your mental health condition.

We are dedicated to helping our patients lessen the risk of suicide and live healthy lives and enjoy life events with effective treatment. Milestone Health and Wellness aims to make a patient’s everyday life meaningful with mood disorders kept in check.