Mood disorders encompass several disorders that cause some form of emotional disturbances. Depressive, bipolar, manic and anxiety-related disorders fall into this category. The diagnosis mandates a thorough and meticulous patient history.
Presentation
Mood changes may be a constitutive feature of several psychiatric disorders and a broad classification based on the nature of the disorder (sadness or elation) can be made into depressive and manic mood changes, each presenting with distinct clinical features [1] [2]:
- Depressive disorders - Numerous subtypes have been described in literature - major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder, substance or medication induced, depression occurring as a result of another disease, premenstrual dysphoric disorder and unspecified forms [3] [4]. The presence of irritable or sad mood that substantially influences everyday life of affected individuals due to somatic and cognitive disturbances is a common finding in all of them, but their distinction can be made according to the duration, onset or the underlying etiology [2]. For example, major depressive disorder is diagnosed when mood changes last for at least two weeks, while persistent depression is suspected if symptoms last for two years in adults and one year in children [2]. Moreover, patients may suffer from psychotic, melancholic or catatonic episodes that can mislead the physician from depression as the underlying disorder.
- Mania and hypomania - Abnormally irritable and expansive mood present for one week accompanied by symptoms such as elevated self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, psychomotor agitation, racing thoughts, increased goal-directed activity and a propensity for distraction by irrelevant or unimportant stimuli are hallmarks of a manic episode [2] [5]. A fast rate of speech, verbosity, accelerated mental and physical activity, and personal belief that he/she is at an excellent mental state is often encountered, which can be dangerous or even life-threatening. A hypomanic state is described as a milder form of mania, lasting at least four days and presenting with less severe clinical symptoms than that observed in manic patients [5].
- Bipolar disorders - When manic episodes, depression, and/or hypomania are all seen in one individual, the diagnosis of a bipolar disorder should be suspected. Like in depressive disorders, several clinical types are recognized - type I, type II, drug-induced, etc. [1], while cyclothymia denotes a less severe form.
Entire Body System
- Fatigue
Depressed symptoms of cyclothymia include: Hopelessness, sadness, or emptiness Irritability, particularly in children or teens Loss of interest in enjoyable activities or hobbies Sleeping too much Difficulty concentrating Feeling rundown or fatigued [sunrisehouse.com]
[…] unrelated disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disease, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, migraine headaches, strokes, neuropathic pain, Parkinson’s disease, ataxia, transient ischemic attack, cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease, chronic fatigue [bipolarnutrition.wordpress.com]
Forty-seven percent of patients were reported to have at least one side effect, most commonly vomiting (13%), tremor (10%), fatigue (10%), irritability (7%), and enuresis (7%). [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Bipolar Disorder can manifest in many ways, including: difficulty falling or staying asleep, difficulty waking up in the morning, chronic fatigue, anxiety, low self-esteem, high irritability and risky or destructive behaviors. [newmarkeducation.com]
- Pain
Adverse impacts of early life sexual abuse (ESA) on adult attachment, affective regulation, and pain sensitivity suggest ESA-related OT dysregulation in MRMD pathophysiology. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
A wide range of seemingly unrelated disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disease, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, migraine headaches, strokes, neuropathic pain, Parkinson’s disease, ataxia, transient ischemic attack, cardiomyopathy, coronary [bipolarnutrition.wordpress.com]
[…] worry or agitation, anxiety Pessimism, indifference Loss of energy, persistent lethargy Feelings of guilt, worthlessness Inability to concentrate, indecisiveness Inability to take pleasure in former interests, social withdrawal Unexplained aches and pains [jfssd.org]
worry, agitation, anxiety Pessimism, indifference Loss of energy, persistent lethargy Feelings of guilt, worthlessness Inability to concentrate, indecisiveness Inability to take pleasure in former interests, social withdrawal Unexplained aches and pains [dbsalliance.org]
- Hypersomnia
Sleep recordings in nine depressed patients confirmed the presence of hypersomnia and showed increased sleep latency and reduced slow-wave (delta) sleep. [doi.org]
[…] sadness, hopeless or helpless Having low self-esteem Excessive guilt Feelings of wanting to die Suicidal thoughts or attempts Loss of interest in usual activities or activities once enjoyed Difficulty with relationships Sleep disturbances (i.e., insomnia, hypersomnia [texaspanhandlecenters.org]
Persistent feelings of sadness Feeling hopeless or helpless Low self-esteem Feelings of inadequacy Excessive guilt Wanting to die Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed Difficulty with relationships Sleep disturbances (for example, insomnia or hypersomnia [ucihealth.org]
In addition to this, classification requires the individual to have four or more of the following associated problems: • Change in appetite or change in weight • Hypersomnia or insomnia (especially waking early) • Restlessness or feeling slowed down • [lupusuk.org.uk]
- Rigor
METHOD: Rigorous criteria for minor depression, including functional disability, were used to identify 226 individuals for a three-phase treatment study. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
The majority of individuals initially meeting our rigorous criteria for minor depression had persistent depressive symptoms and disability throughout a subsequent 4-week period. [doi.org]
- Family History of Depression
[…] with minor depression from one another on the basis of past history of major depression or family history of depression. [doi.org]
It is not clear whether people who have had depression before, or have a family history of depression, are more prone to this complication, and its causes are not understood. [benzo.org.uk]
However, it can also occur in people who have no family history of depression. [0005] Major depressive disorder is prevalent in a large number of elderly patients, resulting in a significant increase in the number of suicides in this population. [faqs.org]
Respiratoric
- Dyspnea
He presented at the emergency department with epigastralgia and dyspnea in January 2009. Results of laboratory tests suggested type 1 diabetes mellitus with DKA. However, serum C-peptide level was normal on follow-up. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Gastrointestinal
- Loss of Appetite
[…] of appetite, insomnia, and fatigue) associated with paresthesias affecting his toes. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Having a mood disorder, particularly one that involves depression, increases the risk of other problems, such as inability to do daily activities and maintain relationships, loss of appetite, extreme anxiety, and alcoholism. [msdmanuals.com]
Major depressive disorder can have a number of symptoms such as insomnia, loss of appetite, fatigue and overwhelming feelings of sadness or grief. There may also be thoughts of death or suicide. [questia.com]
Other features include : significant weight change and appetite disturbance (especially loss of appetite), sleep disturbance, slowed movements and speech, restlessness, decreased feelings of energy, feelings of worthlessness, difficulty in thinking or [purgatory.net]
Cardiovascular
- Hypotension
Your health care provider may do blood tests during the first few months of treatment with LATUDA Decreased blood pressure (orthostatic hypotension). You may feel lightheaded or faint when you rise too quickly from a sitting or lying position Falls. [latuda.com]
Medications, including reserpine and other medications that treat hypertension and hypotension, can cause conditions that may be confused with psychiatric or AOD disorders. [dualdiagnosis.org]
Psychiatrical
- Delusion
Sometimes, a person with severe episodes of mania or depression has psychotic symptoms too, such as hallucinations or delusions. These symptoms present a high risk and must be treated immediately. In an emergency, click here for information. [postpartum.net]
Particular attention is given to assessing persecutory delusions and command auditory hallucinations. Clinical implications of research findings to evaluating violence risk in psychiatric patients are reviewed. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Persons with an affective disorder may or may not have psychotic symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, or other loss of contact with reality. [britannica.com]
The subtypes of delusions are unchanged from DSM-IV, but clinicians may now also specify if the person's delusions show “bizarre content.” [jaapl.org]
- Fear
Ohrt defines anxiety as a feeling of intense worry, fear or unease. She says it can be caused by several things, including fear of the unknown, unrealistic expectations, physical problems, substances and poor coping skills. [unitypoint.org]
[…] or anxiety encompassing two or more areas of their life Specific phobias: Intense and irrational fears of specific situations or objects (e.g., fear of flying or heights) that can be disruptive to everyday life Social anxiety: Overwhelming self-consciousness [uhhospitals.org]
Three common fears experienced by women with a Postpartum Panic Disorder are: 1) fear of dying, 2) fear of losing control, and/or 3) fear that one is going crazy. 2 significant risk factors: 1) a previous history of anxiety or panic disorder, and 2) thyroid [psychotherapy.com]
All are characterized by feelings of nervousness, anxiety, and even fear. [healthline.com]
- Feeling of Worthlessness
Affective disorders may include manic (elevated, expansive, or irritable mood with hyperactivity, pressured speech, and inflated self-esteem) or depressive (dejected mood with disinterest in life, sleep disturbance, agitation, and feelings of worthlessness [britannica.com]
Other symptoms of depression may include: changes in appetite, sleep disturbances, low energy, difficulty thinking or concentrating, feelings of worthlessness and guilt, anxiety and thoughts of suicide. [newmarkeducation.com]
Symptoms, that are persistent and interfere with daily life, can include: Sadness or loss of interest or pleasure in activities the person used to enjoy Weight loss Difficulty sleeping or oversleeping Energy loss Feelings of worthlessness Thoughts of [wexnermedical.osu.edu]
[…] of worthlessness or guilt Difficulty concentrating Recurrent thoughts about suicide Major depressive disorder is much more common in women than in men. [sparknotes.com]
- Suicidal Ideation
ideation and suicide. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
In severe cases depression can lead to suicidal ideation or psychosis. [youtube.com]
- Euphoria
The presence of mania (p=0.033) or euphoria/elevated mood (p=0.041) were the pretreatment symptoms significantly associated with an "improved" rating. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Depression is the more common symptom, and many patients never develop a genuine manic phase, although they may experience a brief period of overoptimism and mild euphoria while recovering from a depression. [britannica.com]
Bipolar disorder also can cause elevated moods (mania) that are accompanied by feelings of euphoria, grandiosity, extreme energy and heightened arousal. [chihealth.com]
[…] worthless, guilty, or constant self-criticism Unable to concentrate or focus Irritable and easily frustrated Trouble sleeping or oversleeping Bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder causes extreme mood swings ranging from mania or extreme happiness, grandiosity, euphoria [bhevolution.org]
During mania, notes The Harvard Mental Health Letter, bipolar patients “can be unbearably intrusive and domineering, and their reckless and restless euphoria may suddenly change into irritability or rage.” [wol.jw.org]
Neurologic
- Insomnia
Our aims were to examine 1) whether insomnia symptom prevalence was different between Black and White veterans and 2) whether predictors of insomnia symptoms varied by race. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
- Confusion
There is some confusion between the characteristic of classical mixed states and the definition of the mixed features specifier with the newly added anxious distress specifier in DSM-5, specifically, whether to include anxiety and agitation as significant [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Medicines like LATUDA can raise the risk of death in elderly people who have lost touch with reality (psychosis) due to confusion and memory loss (dementia). LATUDA is not approved for the treatment of people with dementia-related psychosis. [latuda.com]
Sometimes the ups and downs seem to happen at almost the same time; this confusing state is called a mixed episode. These cycles and emotional states are more than the moodiness of pregnancy or postpartum. [postpartum.net]
Confused and occasionally incapacitated by his mood swings, he was relieved to be diagnosed, in 1989, with what was then termed manic depression. [fi.bab.la]
Recent Examples on the Web The confusion and controversy around schizoaffective disorder The biggest challenge for clinicians is that, by definition, the symptoms of schizoaffective disorder overlap with those of schizophrenia and a mood disorder, Dr. [merriam-webster.com]
- Dizziness
Most common among the latter were malaise, weakness, insomnia, tachycardia, lightheadedness, and dizziness. None had seizures, psychosis, or significant neurological or EEG abnormalities. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Over 50% of patients whose drugs are discontinued experience symptoms such as insomnia, agitation, anxiety, tremor, irritability, headache, nausea, and dizziness (4-10). [benzo.org.uk]
LATUDA may make you sleepy or dizzy, may cause a decrease in your blood pressure when changing position (orthostatic hypotension), and can slow your thinking and motor skills, which may lead to falls that can cause fractures or other injuries Seizures [latuda.com]
- Slurred Speech
Among the side effects are loss of coordination, excessive thirst, frequent urination, blackouts, seizures, slurred speech, irregular or pounding heartbeat, and hallucinations. [psychguides.com]
Psychomotor symptoms include mood lability, mental impairment, impaired memory and attention, loss of coordination, unsteady gait, slurred speech, and confusion. [dualdiagnosis.org]
- Catatonia
Since steroid-induced psychoses often appear as mood disorders and since catatonia may be associated with psychotic mood disorders, the possibility exists for a steroid-induced psychotic mood disorder to present with associated catatonia. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Catatonia In DSM-5, catatonia is recognized as a separate clinical entity, though not as an independent disorder. [jaapl.org]
You don't have permission to access /apol/18957/catatonia-como-sintoma-de-la-depresion/ on this server. Additionally, a 403 Forbidden error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request. [fundacionpunset.org]
Sleep deprivation also can exacerbate [make worse] cognitive difficulties and contribute to development of catatonia [staying in one position for long periods of time] or a florid [fully developed], confusional state known as delirious mania. [webspace.ship.edu]
Other common neuropsychiatric manifestations of lupus such as cognitive impairment, epilepsy, psychosis and catatonia are outlined elsewhere. See pages - CNS Involvement in Lupus and Antiphospholipid (Hughes) Syndrome. [lupusuk.org.uk]
Workup
The diagnosis of a mood disorder can be quite challenging, having in mind the diverse clinical presentation and its variable appearance in patients. In addition, concomitant presence of anxiety disorders (social phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorders, or even panic attacks) may be noted, creating an even bigger issue to discern between the disorders [5]. For this reason, physicians must bear in mind that a long and carefully obtained patient history is the essential component during workup, as the majority of symptoms may not be evident during the hospital visit, but more importantly, because the diagnosis is made almost solely on clinical criteria [2] [5]. Not all patients will be able to describe typical changes seen in mood disorders, and some will not even admit that anything extraordinary is happening, which is why parents, close friends or even relatives can be interviewed as well. Apart from determining symptoms related to mood changes, physicians must inquire about recent use of drugs or substances that can induce such changes [3] [4], but also exclude some organic diseases that may mimic depression [5]. Thyroid hormone levels should be measured to exclude hypothyroidism, while folate, B12 and a complete blood count are recommended in the diagnostic workup as well [5].
Treatment
BACKGROUND: There is suggestive evidence that prior illness history may have little association with response to long-term treatment in bipolar disorder (BD) or recurrent major depressive disorder (MDD), but relationships of illness-history to treatment-response [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
No specific treatment is required, other than support and reassurance. [emedicine.com]
Prognosis
This change is of concern because a large proportion of patients with mixed features are now unspecified, and this may influence treatment planning and prognosis. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Like cancer, "mood disorder" is a general term for a group of disorders that can vary widely in terms of symptoms, prognosis and treatment. [cnn.com]
Such differentiation might be important for establishing prognosis and optimal treatment. [ajp.psychiatryonline.org]
Etiology
The etiology of the mental illness could be related to the processes contributing to the development of parkinsonism. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
[…] irritable or sad mood that substantially influences everyday life of affected individuals due to somatic and cognitive disturbances is a common finding in all of them, but their distinction can be made according to the duration, onset or the underlying etiology [symptoma.com]
Epidemiology
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics Office of Analysis, Epidemiology & Health Promotion, Room 6433 Hyattsville USA 2. National Institute of Mental Health Bethseda USA 3. [doi.org]
Keywords: age of onset, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, alcohol use disorders, comorbidity, NESARC, epidemiology 1. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Pathophysiology
This paper reviews the studies on the pathophysiology of SAD with emphasis on circadian, neurotransmitter, and genetic hypotheses. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Prevention
These fund allow the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to invest in new research, create educational programs, advocate for public policy, and support survivors of suicide loss. [geiselmed.dartmouth.edu]
Depression Maintaining healthy lifestyle habits is the best way to prevent depression. [apps.carleton.edu]
It may be possible to detect symptoms of BD or other mood disorders early in adolescence and prevent the disorder from further interfering with someone's life. [clinicaltrials.gov]
[…] dependence are consistently associated with a higher prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities, could be considered important predictors of other psychiatric disorders, and deserve greater public heath attention, pointing to the need for alcohol abuse prevention [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
References
- Marvel CL, Paradiso S. Cognitive and neurological impairment in mood disorders. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2004;27(1):19-viii.
- American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Fifth Edition. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2013.
- Quello SB, Brady KT, Sonne SC. Mood Disorders and Substance Use Disorder: A Complex Comorbidity. Science & Practice Perspectives. 2005;3(1):13-21.
- Tolliver BK, Anton RF. Assessment and treatment of mood disorders in the context of substance abuse. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2015;17(2):181-190.
- Porter RS, Kaplan JL. Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy. 19th Edition. Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. Whitehouse Station, N.J; 2011.