Mood disorders are loosely defined as an emotional or mental state that gets in the way of healthy or normal living. One of the signs of a mood disorder is when your mental state is at odds with your environment. For example, depression is a common mood disorder affecting millions worldwide. People feel depressed or sad when there are generally no reasons to feel sad or as depressed as they are.
Many factors contribute to mood disorders. For example, people experience mood disorders due to family history, hormonal imbalance, diet, lack of exercise, past trauma, and other issues. Some of the most common mood disorders include anxiety disorder, depression, bipolar disorder, and seasonal affective disorder.
Knowing how to spot the signs of a mood disorder is often the essential part of getting proper treatment. Fighting mood disorders is challenging and can require therapy, medication, and a strong social support network.
Here are some things you should know about mood disorders and what you can do to treat them.
Common Types of Mood Disorders
There are many different kinds of mood disorders. As stated, a mood disorder is typically a situation in which someone’s mental state doesn’t align with what’s considered healthy or normal. Mood disorder often creates an unwanted or negative way of thinking, which affects how people behave or perceive the world around them.
• Depressive Disorder – Depression is likely the most common mood disorder. Most people will feel depressed from time to time, though some people struggle with chronic, debilitating depression. Depressive disorder is marked by long periods of sadness and lack of motivation.
• Seasonal Affective Disorder – This is a mood disorder tied to shorter days in the winter season. In some countries in Europe, like Norway and Finland, people use artificial lights to simulate longer daylight hours to combat seasonal depression.
• Bipolar Disorder – Bipolar disorder is when someone alternates between extreme depression and mania. Their behaviour and mental state are often very unpredictable.
Other types of mood disorders are related to mental health affected by substance abuse and mental illnesses like paranoia, schizophrenia, or high anxiety. Sometimes people become depressed due to medical conditions or even bodily changes like menopause and menstruation.
Ways to Treat Mood Disorders
Understanding the symptoms of mood disorders is typically the best way to treat them. For example, when you know what will trigger anxiety or depression, you can better control the environment around you to limit exposure to triggers and their effect on your mental health.
For example, being around toxic social relationships can exacerbate someone’s depression, so they should consider limiting their time with those people. Some other natural treatments for include:
• Getting more exercise
• Eating a healthy diet
• Spending time outdoors
• Associating with close friends and relatives
• Consuming uplifting media
• Getting more sleep
• Setting goals
These are just some ways people can overcome the symptoms of depression and better self-regulate moods. However, when mood disorders make life difficult, patients should seek professional medical support.
When to Seek Medical Help
People who frequently struggle with depression, manic episodes, suicidal ideation, long periods of anxiety, and other chronic conditions should see a doctor who will help you understand better what’s going on. It’s essential to ask for help whenever you feel like you can’t deal with a mood disorder or feeling depressed alone.
Doctors and therapists can access stronger medicines and other resources that may be required to prevent overwhelming symptoms. In addition, if you feel like your condition is affecting your work, family, or normal relationships, you should get more help.
A chronic mood disorder won’t likely disappear naturally. For many people, it’s a lifelong battle to treat symptoms and avoid sinking into a bad situation. Learning your triggers and how to protect your mental health are vital strategies to live a happier, healthier life.
Peptides & Mood Disorders
Tesofensine is a peptide that is a serotonin-noradrenaline-dopamine reuptake inhibitor. It was originally studied as a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s, though researchers demonstrated in animal models that it promotes the transmission of serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline to regulate energy balance. In addition, research in animal models shows that Tesofensine can help fight depression because it boosts neurogenesis in the hippocampus, which could have antidepressant properties.
How mood disorders can affect one’s daily life?
Mood disorders can significantly impact one’s daily life, including activities of daily living (ADLs), social interactions, and self-care. They can also have a significant impact on job performance and earnings potential.
One of the most common mood disorders is depression, which affects about 7 to 8 per cent of Americans age 18 or older at any given time. Depression is characterized by decreases in both energy and motivation, along with increased feelings of sadness, hopelessness, guilt, worthlessness, and excessive rumination. Additionally, people with depression often have difficulty concentrating, sleeping well, eating nourishing foods, maintaining a healthy weight, regulating emotions, and interacting with others.
Other Mood Disorders Affecting Daily Life:
• bipolar disorder -affects about 1% of the population rage times varying degrees; an individual may experience mania -a state of elevated mood accompanied by decreased need for sleep or food;
• hypomania –a milder form that does not include hallucinations or impaired judgment; dysthymic disorder –a chronic condition marked by low levels of happiness
Most people who experience depressive symptoms do not meet diagnostic standards for major depressive disorder.
• Panic Disorder -approximately 3 million Americans suffer from panic attacks annually;
• agoraphobia -people suffering from this phobia fear being outside even though they are safe indoors.
Mood disorders can have a significant impact on one’s daily life, both at home and in the workplace. They can make it difficult to concentrate, interact with people effectively, or avoid situations that might trigger episodes.
The symptoms of mood disorders typically vary from person to person and often become more severe over time. In some cases, Mood Disorders may be treatable with medication or therapy.
Conclusion
Overall, it’s important for people who have been diagnosed with mood disorders not to be complacent about their recovery as this can lead them down the path of relapse once again. Thus, keeping track of your symptoms and taking note of changes in your behavior are crucial steps towards ensuring a full recovery!