The emotional disorders o Mood disorders are one of the most common types of psychological illnesses. They are characterized by a significant alteration in the mood of the affected people. Studies estimate that approximately 25% of the world's population will suffer from one of them at some point in their life.
There are many different classifications for emotional disorders; but the most common is the one that distinguishes between those that provoke negative emotions, and those that cause patients to change between a positive and depressed mood continuously.
In the latest version of the DSM, the diagnostic manual used in psychology, the following mood disorders are defined: major depression, dysthymia, bipolar disorder, cyclothymia, seasonal affective disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and disruptive dysregulation disorder of mood. cheer up.
Certain emotional disorders may also appear due to external causes, such as drug or alcohol abuse, or the presence of a physical illness. In any case, all these syndromes have a very negative impact on the lives of those who suffer from them, and they must be treated as quickly as possible..
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In this section we will see a detailed description of each of the most common mood disorders. In addition, you will also find a list of the most common symptoms that appear in each of them, so that you can learn to recognize them in yourself or in the people around you..
Probably the most well-known psychological disorder of all and one of those that affects the most people, depression or major depressive disorder is much more than just feeling sad or down. Its symptoms affect virtually every aspect of patients' lives in extremely negative ways..
It is estimated that 1 in 15 adults is affected by a depressive episode each year; and throughout their lives, at least 1 in 6 people will end up developing this disorder.
Although it can occur at any time in a person's life, it most commonly appears between adolescence and early adulthood..
What are the symptoms caused by major depressive disorder? According to the DSM - V, they are the following.
The person with depression will experience an altered mood for at least two weeks, during which the changes are persistent and present continuously.
The most common mood is sadness. However, in major depression, the person does not simply feel down or unmotivated: patients often report feeling hopeless and hopeless, changing their world view to an extremely pessimistic one..
In addition, they will usually feel "empty", they will be much more irritable than usual, and they will develop feelings such as guilt, or the feeling that they are useless. Often, suicidal ideas also appear more or less recurrently.
People with major depression lose the ability to enjoy things that used to fill them up. They will put aside their hobbies and hobbies, and they will generally see their levels of daily activity greatly reduced.
This can be seen even in the way they speak: those affected by this disorder generally communicate more slowly, as if they had no energy. Their movements generally slow down as well..
Finally, they also often have difficulties concentrating or staying on a single task for a certain amount of time. Other areas of your life, such as food intake or sleep, are also affected very negatively..
Dysthymia, or persistent depressive disorder, is generally considered a milder but longer-lasting version of major depression. As in this one, the main symptoms are great sadness and melancholy; but there are several differences between them that make it necessary to treat it as a different problem.
The main difference between major depression and dysthymia is that the latter does not make the person unable to carry out their daily routine. On the contrary, those affected by this disorder will continue to be functional, but will show a persistently sad and low mood..
In addition to this difference, people with dysthymia do not usually suffer from anhedonia; that is, they are usually still able to enjoy the things they liked before suffering from this disorder. However, they do also suffer from low self-confidence and motivation, and their daily activity is usually quite reduced (although not as much as with depression).
All other affected areas in major depressive disorder, such as sleep, appetite, and concentration, are also impaired in people with dysthymia. The key is that the alterations are less severe than in the previous disorder, and generally persist for much longer..
Bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic depressive disorder, is characterized by the presence of symptoms similar to those of major depression that alternate with others typical of an excessively high mood. It is one of the most common mental disorders, affecting approximately 7% of the world's population.
Contrary to what happens in the case of the two previous mental illnesses, there are two types of bipolar disorder. In the first one, the affected person alternates manic episodes with other depressive ones, while in the second the depression alternates with hypomanic phases.
But what symptoms occur in both cases? The symptoms of depressive states are the same as those that appear in major depression. However, mania and hypomania deserve to be studied separately..
A manic episode is one in which the person has an exaggeratedly high mood for a long enough time (at least two weeks). The symptoms are very similar for the two conditions; but in the case of hypomania they are not so serious or disabling for the individual.
Among the most common symptoms of both conditions are an euphoric or exaggeratedly happy mood, excessive and irrational self-confidence, and a large increase in daily activity levels. An excess of talkativeness and a lesser need to sleep also tend to appear..
On the other hand, when a manic or hypomanic episode appears, the person usually feels that their ideas go too fast; Because of this, it is difficult for him to concentrate on a single task and he switches from one activity to another frequently.
Finally, people in this phase of bipolar disorder often engage in high-risk behaviors, such as driving after drinking, having unprotected sex, taking drugs, or gambling. The more severe the manic episode, the more pronounced and dangerous these behaviors will be.
For external observers, the behavior of the bipolar person is usually very disconcerting, alternating periods of depression with others of very high moods. This disorder is usually extremely disabling, being the second cause of permanent sick leave worldwide.
Cyclothymia is to bipolar disorder what dysthymia is to major depressive disorder. The symptoms are practically the same; the main difference is in the severity with which these are presented.
Unlike people with complete bipolar disorder, individuals with cyclothymia can still lead more or less normal lives. However, their altered moods will cause them a lot of suffering and difficulties when it comes to functioning properly in their day to day.
In cyclothymia, patients alternate between episodes of dysthymia (ie, low intensity depressive symptoms) with others of hypomania. It affects approximately 1% of the population, and is usually chronic; that is, it can last from several years to the entire life of the affected person.
Seasonal affective disorder is a type of mood disorder that causes depressive symptoms that appear and disappear depending on the season of the year. It is usually known as "winter depression" because this is the time when it most frequently manifests.
Among the most common symptoms of seasonal affective disorder are a consistently low mood, loss of interest in all kinds of daily activities, irritability, feelings of despair and low self-esteem, a great lack of energy, and disturbances in certain areas such as sleep or food.
Although it is generally not as harmful as the conditions we have seen so far, seasonal affective disorder can have a very negative impact on the lives of some people..
With the advent of DSM-V, the American Psychological Association has included some especially severe cases of PMS among mood disorders.
This disorder occurs in some women several days before their menstruation begins, and its symptoms are very severe and debilitating..
Among the most common are frequent mood swings, depressive symptoms, ease of getting angry with other people, anxiety, lack of interest in activities carried out regularly, difficulties in staying focused, and changes in appetite and sleep patterns..
Being related to menstruation, women who suffer from it also suffer from problems such as muscle or joint pain, hot flashes, headaches, or the feeling of being swollen.
Again, despite not appearing as severe as some of the previous disorders, it can greatly hinder the development of a normal life for women who suffer from it..
The last of the common mood disorders is one that is diagnosed exclusively in children. Like the previous one, it was mentioned for the first time in the DSM - V, so it is a relatively recently recognized pathology.
The main symptoms of Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder are extreme irritability and anger, accompanied by severe tantrums and tantrums. These symptoms are much more pronounced than in the case of children who are simply "complicated".
The main difference between a child with this disorder and another who simply has a short temper is that the former will have great difficulties in accomplishing his daily tasks due to his mood. In addition, the symptoms will have to be present for at least 12 months to be able to diagnose this pathology.
Unfortunately, today we do not know exactly what causes a person to develop one of the emotional disorders that we have seen. Carrying out conclusive studies in this regard is very complicated; For this reason, today only several factors are known that can make its appearance more likely.
The first of these is genetics. It is known that a person in whose family there have been previous cases of one of these disorders has a much higher probability of developing such a pathology throughout his life. The chances, in fact, increase with each close relative who has suffered them.
The environment in which the person developed also seems to play a very important role. The presence of traumatic experiences in childhood or the lack of sufficient social support can also increase the chances that an individual will develop an emotional disorder.
Another fundamental factor is personality. Some people have characteristics that predispose them to suffer one of these pathologies, such as high neuroticism or low control of their own emotions.
Finally, certain lifestyle factors such as the abuse of certain toxic substances (such as drugs, alcohol or unhealthy foods), lack of exercise or social support, or certain conditions such as ongoing stress, can also help a individual ends up developing a mood disorder.
Fortunately, most of these psychological disorders can be alleviated, either with therapy, medication, or a combination of both. If you think you may have one of them or suspect that someone close to you does it, do not hesitate to go to a specialist to try to solve it as soon as possible.
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