Mood Disorders

In and given year, about 7 percent of Americans suffer from mood disorders, a cluster of mental disorders best recognized by depression or mania . Mood disorders are outside the bounds of normal fluctuations from sadness to elation. They have potentially severe consequences for morbidity and mortality.

Clinical Depression Versus Normal Sadness
People have been plagued by disorders of mood for all of recorded history. One of the earliest terms for depression, “melancholy,” literally meaning “black bile,” dates back to Hippocrates.

Major Depressive Disorder
Major depressive disorder features one or more major depressive episodes each of which lasts at least 2 weeks.. Since these episodes are also characteristic of bipolar disorder, the term “major depression” refers to both major depressive disorder and the depression of bipolar disorder.

Dysthymia
Dysthymia is a chronic form of depression. Its early onset and unrelenting, “smoldering” course are among the features that distinguish it from major depressive disorder. Dysthymia becomes so intertwined with a person’s self-concept or personality that the individual may be misidentified as “neurotic” (resulting from unresolved early conflicts expressed through unconscious personality defenses or character disorders)

Bipolar Disorders
Bipolar disorder is a recurrent mood disorder featuring one or more episodes of mania or mixed episodes of mania and depression.

Bipolar disorder is distinct from major depressive disorder by virtue of a history of manic or hypomanic (milder and not psychotic) episodes.

Other factors relating to mood disorders are sometimes caused by general medical conditions or medications. Classic examples include the depressive syndromes associated with strokes, hypothyroidism, Cushing’s disease, and pancreatic cancer.

Among medications associated with depression, antihypertensive and oral contraceptives are the most frequent examples. Temporary depressive syndromes are also common during withdrawal from alcohol and various other drugs of abuse.

Call us.  We can help you determine what issues you are facing and get you the help you need.

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