What Are The Symptoms of Mood Disorder

In mood disorder, the patient observes at least two week’s course of symptoms, which are associated with the change in the patient’s previous level of functioning. The mood disorder symptoms may be of genetic origin. As far as mood disorder information is concerned, the mood disorder symptoms happen to occur due to imbalance in certain substances found in the brain tissues called neurotransmitters (i.e. serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine). Women are more vulnerable to mood disorders as they are affected more by the stressors like divorce, financial crisis and death of the relatives. The stressors provoke the mood disorder symptoms in susceptible people.

Mood Disorder Information

Mood disorder is a broad term which encompasses various psychological disorders, including major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, dysthymic disorder, cyclothymic disorder, seasonal affective disorder, grief, postpartum depression, affects of death and death. Most of these disorders present some kind of depression. Now, we will discuss the symptoms of all these separately.

Symptoms of Major Depression

•    Depressed mood (feelings of sadness)
•    Anhedonia
•    Insomnia or over sleeping (the patient observes disturbed sleep sleeps for hours)
•    Poor eating habits or over-eating
•    Remarkable weight loss or weight gain
•    Fatigue and weakness
•    Slow and sluggish movements
•    Feelings of guilt ( feelings of not being happy)
•    Psychomotor agitation
•    Loss of concentration
•    Repeated thoughts of death or dying
•    Suicidal thoughts

Moreover, perfect diagnosis can be made when the symptoms like significant functional impairment or feelings of guilt persist for longer periods (more than two months). Mood disorder medication and natural antidepressant are useful for depressive mood disorders.

Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder

In this mood disorder, the patient experiences manic symptoms for at least a week. These manic symptoms cause remarkable impairment in the patient’s functioning. The symptoms caused by bipolar disorder vary widely in their pattern. Symptoms include:

•    Grandiosity (increased self esteem)
•    Elevated mood for at least one week (optimistic)
•    Patient talks more
•    Distractibility (unable to concentrate)
•    Increased libido
•    Excessive desire of activities
•    Psychomotor agitation or irritation
•    Flight of ideas and goal directed activities
•    Impaired judgment
•    Sleep disturbance and loss of energy
•    Feeling of guilt and suicidal thoughts

According to most of the mood disorder information, treatment for the symptoms of bipolar disorder combines mood disorder medication, natural antidepressants, life style modification and social support.

Symptoms of Dysthymic Disorder

It is a kind of depressed mood which may last for up to two years.

•    Bad eating habits (poor appetite or over-eating)
•    Fatigue
•    Disturbed sleep or over-sleeping
•    Feelings of disrespect
•    Poor decision making power
•    Feelings of guilt and hopelessness
•    Social rejection

Only the severe cases of this disorder need mood disorder medication. Foods containing elements of natural antidepressant may help this disorder.

Symptoms of Cyclothymic Disorder

The symptoms of this mood disorder are more or less same as bipolar disorder and may include:

•    Mild depression to hypomania, which may last for days or weeks
•    The patient have normal mood for more than a month or with no normal mood at all.

Psychotherapy and mood disorder medication is the solution for these mental symptoms. In short, all the symptoms mood disorders are associated with depressed mood in some way. Tons of mood disorder information is available online and one can easily excess the knowledge about mood disorders.