Overview of Mood Disorders

A mood disorder is defined as a mental condition in which an individual's emotional state is inappropriate to the individual's circumstances. There are two classifications of mood disorders: unipolar depression (often thought of as "depression") and bipolar depression (formerly referred to as "manic depression") and cover the following mood disorders:

Unipolar Depression
Individuals with unipolar depression (also referred to as "depression" or "clinical depression") experience negative thoughts and a feeling of hopelessness. These thoughts are often accompanied by physical symptoms such as lethargy and fatigue.

Bipolar Disorder
Unlike unipolar depression in which one experiences only negative thoughts, bipolar depression is characterized by two extremes in mood - depression and mania (hence the term manic depression). There are three primary types of bipolar disorder: Bipolar I, with marked extremes in mood, Bipolar II with marked depression and mild manic symptoms, and cyclothymia, with mild depression and mild manic symptoms. All types may also experience "rapid cycling", in which manic and depressive episodes alternate frequently, sometimes in hours.

Dysthymia
Individuals with dysthymia experience a lengthy and often recurring depression that may unfortunately last a lifetime. Dysthymia is chronic: persistent and mild. To the afflicted individual, it seems that depression lasts for years. When coupled with a major unipolar depressive episode, a condition referred to as "double depression" occurs.

Current clinical teaching informs that mood disorders arise from certain chemical imbalances in the brain. Neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine regulate mood, and when the proportions of these chemicals are not correct, depression is a common result. Mood disorders are highly genetic and can run through several generations of a family. Women are much more likely to be affected by unipolar depression than men. Diagnosis of mood disorder is based on the family history of the patient and the patient's self reported symptoms. If, over a two year period, an individual reports feeling depressed more days than not, they may be diagnosed with dysthymia. In some cases, laboratory tests may be run to rule out other causes.

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