Mood disorder - Optimal Hormone Solutions

What is a mood disorder?

A mood disorder is a medical condition that significantly affects a person's everyday emotional state or mood. Mood disorders can make someone feel persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or elation that are much more severe or longer-lasting than typical emotional experiences.

There are several major types of mood disorders:

• Major depressive disorder involves prolonged periods of extreme sadness, hopelessness, and lack of interest in usually enjoyable activities. People with depression may experience changes in sleep, appetite, energy, and concentration.
• Bipolar disorder causes extreme mood swings between emotional highs (mania) and lows (depression). Manic phases may include increased energy, rapid speech, impulsive behavior, and in severe cases, hallucinations or delusions.
• Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a mood disorder characterized by depression that occurs at the same time each year, typically in winter. SAD is associated with less sunlight in colder months.
• Additional disorders like persistent depressive disorder, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder involve depressed moods as well.

Mood disorders often run in families and can be influenced by changes in brain chemistry and hormone levels. Trauma, grief, medical illnesses, and stress can also trigger the onset or worsening of mood disorders.

Effective treatments for mood disorders include medications like antidepressants, psychotherapy like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), light therapy, and lifestyle changes like regular exercise. With appropriate support, many people with mood disorders can manage their symptoms and enjoy full, meaningful lives.

If you think you may be struggling with a mood disorder, reach out to a mental health professional. The caring doctors at Optimal Hormone Solutions Therapy Clinic also provide customized treatment plans to help patients restore hormonal balance and relieve difficult symptoms of depression, irritability, and anxiety. Contact them today for a consultation.

Key aspects about mood disorders:

• They involve extreme and prolonged shifts in emotions like sadness or elation
• Types include major depression, bipolar disorder, and seasonal affective disorder
• Causes involve brain chemistry, hormones, genetics, trauma, grief, illness, stress
• Treatments like therapy and antidepressant medication can effectively manage symptoms