Mood disorders

[taranishiya]

Admission to having a mood disorder appears to be fashionable lately; thanks, in large part, to campaigning groups encouraging celebrities to "out" themselves.

With all this talk about disorders - what is "mood order"?  and how does "mood order" go from being ordered to being disordered - sometimes seemingly overnight?!

[taranishiya]

I've been sent a Medhelp email requiring me to choose who gave the "best" reply to my question.  Which, given the nature of the replies, I find I cannot choose; everyone said something useful and insightful.

I've learnt that mood disorders are complex and wide-ranging.  

Some people can recover from a diagnosed mood disorder by learning new strategies for living and treating "mood" as an interesting topic of study and something we can equip ourselves with "new" skills to deal with ie. the diagnosis need not be a life sentence.

I pray that "truthful" realistic knowledge, especial from people like Dr Liz Miller - (moodmapping.com) who have been sectioned three times (!) and now lives a content, useful life without medication/severe mood swings/hospital  admissions - finds its way to them.

Others will never be able to gain the self awareness they need to take themselves out of their recurring mood swings and incumbent medication/hospital admissions.  I pray those people find the right medical team to pull them through the ravages of their mood disorder.

Thank you for all your considered responses - especially given that I'm sure you're busy people.

[Paxiled]

Part of the problem here is that most of the people outing themselves don't actually have mood disorders, though they've been told they do.  The big growth industry is bipolar, which now has several different types.  Only true bipolar, however, is a mood disorder, while all the others are just old forms of anxiety and depression that were reclassified in diagnostic manuals so pharmaceutical companies could sell more antipsychotics to people who didn't suffer from psychosis.  So there's a whole lost of bipolar 2 out there, but it isn't actually a mood disorder.  

[nursegirl6572]

Not to sound like a broken record, but I think it's VERY important to note that mood disorders are totally different from mood swings, varying moods, etc.  

There are people who are crabby and negative by nature, always seem to be in a bad mood...that isn't a mood disorder.  Also, there are people who are the opposite, always cheerful, upbeat, positive....that's a person's personality.  Even people who may struggle with maintaining a stable mood don't always necessarily have a mood disorder.  Again, this is why it is SO important for people to be properly evaluated if there is a suspicion of a problem.  Doctors have many different assessment tools to be able to evaluate the difference between an actual mood disorder, and individual personality characteristics.

Someone who is diagnosed with a mood disorder has a diagnosed condition.  From the link above....

Four basic forms of mood disorders are major depression, cyclothymia (a mild form of bipolar disorder), SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and mania (euphoric, hyperactive, over inflated ego, unrealistic optimism.)


I just want to be sure people understand that a "moody" person and someone with a mood disorder aren't the same.  It can be confusing.

[BluCrystal]

Hello, Tara.  I agree that having mood disorders is out of control these days, with seemingly everyone on something or other to keep them 'balanced'.  I would even venture to say that 3/4 of these people don't need help at all, just think they do because everyone else does.  Humans have moods for a reason, and that reason is related to survival and health.  It would be very unhealthy to NOT have moods.  They can tell us when to slow down, go faster, eat less or eat more, care for our children, and protect ourselves from toxic situations.  Moods are also great for having a good time: a good hard belly laugh with tears and sore cheeks and sore tummy IS AWESOME.  I'm no professional, and I only know from 43 years experience, so I would say that 'balanced moods' (healthy ones) are rational and not over-board unless the situation is severe (you can't ride a roller coaster without feeling that THRILL, and you can't protect your daughter from a stalker without feeling protective, etc).  I would say that 'imbalancd moods' are ones that swing way too far: actually planning the murder of your daughter's stalker without even thinking to call the police first, being very boistrous with no apparent cause, getting angry enough to break things, etc.  Imbalanced moods all come with a 'proof': they are not productive, and/or cause harm to themselves or others in some way.  People CAN learn to control their moods without the use of medication.  I have seen it happen.  They learn how to do this through family dynamics, social situations, and actually seeking the knowledge from books and the web.  Then they actually APPLY what they learn.  Humans didn't have prozac in the 1800's.  They learned to survive in what ever way they had to, even to the point of modifying their lives to accomodate a mood imbalance on their own... because they HAD to.  And there is the third, smaller group of people who REALLY DO need therapeutic and even medical help.  This is easily determined by a psychiatrist.  I think thats all I know. :-)  Blessings - Blu

[nursegirl6572]

Hello there!

I'm not entirely sure "fashionable" would be the right word, but there's some truth that when a well known person, celebrity type person identifies with something like a mood disorder, it increases knowledge and acceptance, which is always a good thing.

I'm not sure I understand your last question.  Mood disorders don't usually present in an "overnight" fashion.  It's very important for a person who thinks they may have a mood disorder  or other psychiatric disorder to have a thorough evaluation, by a trained doctor who can offer an accurate diagnosis.  Many mental illnesses are similar in nature, yet the treatment can vary greatly, which is why it is important to have the proper diagnosis.

This link is pretty good, just gives a basic description of what a mood disoder is and which conditions are classified as a mood disorder.

It's important to note that MOODS and mood disorders aren't the same.  Someone who may have frequent bouts of bad moods don't necessarily have a mood disorder.