Bonnie Lane: What are mood disorders?

When someone is feeling sad or happy, we might say they’re in a “bad mood” or “good mood.” So when you hear the term “mood disorder,” you might think it’s nothing more than a transient feeling.

But mood disorders are not the same as being in a good or bad mood.

Mood disorders encompass a range of mental health conditions characterized by disturbances in a person’s emotional state, including depression, mania and bipolar disorder. These disorders vary in severity, duration and symptoms, and are generally treatable with medication and therapy.

Depression

Most people are familiar with the most common mood disorder, depression. This is when feelings of sadness, hopelessness and helplessness interfere with thinking, memory, sleeping, eating and just getting out of bed in the morning. If you’re feeling these symptoms for at least two weeks, see your doctor because you may be struggling with clinical or major depression.

If you can get out of bed, but you’re going through the motions and not finding enjoyment in things you used to, that may be a sign of persistent depressive disorder (PDD). Symptoms “persist” for two years or more in adults or one year in children.

Weather and sunshine can play a role in depression. With the winter we’ve been having, you may be experiencing seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which I’ve written about previously. The easiest initial treatment is bright-light therapy (BLT), also known as phototherapy.

We’ve all heard of the “baby blues,” but there’s a more serious condition known as postpartum depression, brought on by hormonal, physical and schedule disruptions that arrive with a baby. It can result in a new mom not feeling up to the task of taking care of her baby.

A more serious form is depression with psychosis, in which severe depression comes with psychotic episodes, such as hallucinations, delusions or paranoia. There may also be increased suicidal ideation — not just thinking about suicide but how it might be carried out — and it can lead to more serious diagnoses. (If you or a loved one is at risk of suicide, call 988, the Suicide Lifeline.)

Bipolar disorders

“Being bipolar” doesn’t just mean being happy and sad at the same time. Bipolar, a lifelong mood disorder, causes intense shifts in mood, thinking patterns and behavior. People with bipolar disorder experience super-high highs and really down lows in a rapid cycle — within an hour they may go up and down three times. As you get older, the cycle slows down, but there still will be manic and depressed periods.

Hypomania, often associated with bipolar disorder, can cause a reduced need for sleep, racing thoughts and impulsive behavior — going on shopping sprees, for instance, or talking a mile a minute.

Bipolar I disorder is characterized by severe manic episodes that can lead to hospitalization, while bipolar II disorder involves milder hypomanic episodes and more frequent depressive episodes.

Another form of bipolar is cyclothymia, which is less severe and also rare. Symptoms include unstable mood, hypomania and depression, but they’re not as extreme as those in bipolar I or II. Between these cyclothymic highs and lows, you may feel stable and fine.

Fortunately, these disorders usually respond to medication and therapy. The problem is compliance, especially during manic periods, which patients frequently enjoy, and may be associated with impulsivity and hypersexuality. When people crash, though, it can be into a deep depression that may bring on suicidal ideation.

Some disorders carry different names during different times in history. Don’t be confused — ask your doctor. It’s probably the severity of the presenting symptoms.

Some diagnoses are gender-specific. For instance, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) was initially diagnosed in 1931, appearing in the literature in the 1950s, but it wasn't until 1994 that premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) became a separate diagnosis. It’s defined as experiencing anger, insomnia, depression and irritability brought on by hormonal changes that come with menstruation.

Some diagnoses are age-specific, such as disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD), when children and adolescents display frequent unprovoked anger and outbursts out of proportion to whatever’s going on around them. Children may even throw things and break furniture. Its milder form, usually in people older than 18, is intermittent explosive disorder (IED).

Mood disorders can affect anyone — children, adolescents, adults — involving biological, genetic and environmental factors. If you’re experiencing intense anger, sadness or elation; changes in activity, sleeping and eating patterns; or if you are finding yourself unable to cope with daily responsibilities, visit your doctor to rule out physical causes, such as thyroid or vitamin deficiencies.

If it turns out to be a mood disorder, it may mean a chemical imbalance in your brain. Mood disorders are treatable with medications and therapy. Don’t suffer needlessly. Seek support and treatment from a licensed professional.

• Bonnie Lane, M.S., is principal consultant with Family Support Services in Northbrook, specializing in supporting families whose loved ones suffer from severe mental illness or substance addiction. Daily Herald readers can contact her at (847) 651-1554 or bonnielane@thefamilysupportservices.com.