Mood disorders are mental disorders characterized by disturbance in one’s mood. The mood disturbance may be mild and may include depression, mania, or hypomania, or any combination of these.
Bipolar disorder is a type of mood disorder. It entails swings in mood from elation to depression without identifiable external cause. The patient experiences swings from depression to mania. In the manic phase of this disorder, the patient may show excessive, unwarranted excitement. They may also show poor judgment and recklessness and may be argumentative. A manic person may speak rapidly, have unrealistic ideas, and jump from subject to subject. They may not be able to sleep. These symptoms are predominant for a specific period of time lasting for a few days . Hospitalization can often be necessary to keep the person from harming themselves and others. Bipolar disorder has another side, the depressive episode. Bipolar depressed patients often sleep more than usual and are lethargic. This contrasts with those with major depression, who usually has trouble sleeping and is agitated. Irritability and withdrawal symptoms can be seen during bipolar depressive episodes.
There is still no identifiable reasons as to what causes mood disorders. Our brain naturally produces chemicals called endorphins that elicits positive moods. Other chemicals in the brain, called neurotransmitters, regulate endorphins. Studies show that mood disorders are caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Life events such as unwanted changes in life may also contribute to a depressed mood. On the other hand, genetic factors could be a prospect in causing bipolar disorder. Since it is related to depression, a gene may be responsible for the occurrence of the disorder. And this gene may be triggered by the environment, such as serious life-changing events. Evidence suggests that environmental factors play an important role in the development and course of bipolar disorder, and that individual psychosocial variables may interact with genetic dispositions.
Moreover, some limited long-term studies indicate that children who later receive a diagnosis of bipolar disorder may show subtle early traits such as sub-threshold cyclical mood abnormalities, full major depressive episodes, and possibly ADHD with mood fluctuation. There may be hypersensitivity and irritability. There is some disagreement whether the experiences are chronic. A history of stimulant utilize in childhood is found in large numbers of bipolar patients and has been found to be a reason of an earlier inception of bipolar disorder, worse clinical course, independent of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Bipolar disorder is often treated with mood stabilizer medications, and sometimes other psychiatric drugs. Psychotherapy also has a function, often when there has been some recovery of stability. In serious cases in which there is a threat of harm to oneself or others involuntary commitment may be used; these cases generally involve severe manic episodes with depressive episodes with suicidal intention.
Furthermore, because the pattern of highs and lows varies for each person, bipolar disorder is a complex disease to diagnose. For some people, mania or depression can last for weeks or months, even for years. For other people, bipolar disorder takes the form of frequent and dramatic mood shifts.
According to a clinical psychiatrist named Michael Aronson, MD, there are discoveries in bipolar disorder that shows that there is a wide range of symptoms and mood changes in this disorder.Dramatic mood swings is not always the characteristic of bipolar disorder. There are people who get along fine. There is productivity even in manic periods. They think things are going great. The danger comes when the mania grows much worse. Changes can be very dramatic, with catastrophic outcomes. People can get involved in reckless behavior, spend a lot of money, there may be sexual promiscuity, sexual risks. The depressed phases can be equally dangerous: Frequent thoughts of suicide can really harm.
