About The Different Types of Mood Disorders

Many different types of mood disorders exist, and each one can have a compelling, negative impact on how a person lives their life. They often feel overwhelmed by moods they do not know how to control. This can cause the individual to spiral out of control, assuming there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Actually, a great deal can be done to help someone control the symptoms of their mood disorders, including both several types of therapy and using medications. Once the person leaves treatment with this new information, their whole world can change.

What Are The Types of Mood Disorders?

Mood disorders are mental health disorders that cause a person to feel intense and extreme emotions they often feel they cannot control. Symptoms usually last for at least two weeks and can range from extreme joy to low valleys of depression and sadness. Having a mood disorder negatively impacts a person’s life and keeps them from enjoying regulated emotions. Regardless of the types of mood disorders a person has, they all require professional treatment, which can include different types of therapy and prescription medications.

Major Depressive Disorder

Major depressive disorder, often called depression, causes a person to feel a great deal of sadness and other negative emotions they can’t seem to shake. It can be tied to one specific or several events that happened or develop without a particular reason being apparent. Major depressive disorder affects how a person views their lives and emotions, making many of them feel there isn’t any hope to break free from depressive feelings.

Dysthymia

Dysthymia, also called persistent depressive disorder, presents in a similar way to major depressive disorder. This chronic, long-term depression can go on for years and leave a person incapable of performing normal daily activities. Symptoms may subside for less than two months but then continue. Someone can have both major depressive disorder and dysthymia, a condition called double depression.

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder proves to be a complex one of the types of mood disorders. Previously known as manic-depressive disorder, a person with bipolar disorder experiences severe and dramatic mood shifts that can cause difficulty in being able to carry out the tasks of daily life. There are several types of this mood disorder, including bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, and cyclothymic disorder.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

SAD is a form of depression related to when the seasons change, beginning and ending around the same time each year. For most people, the onset comes during the fall and continues through the winter months. The colder weather and less daylight contribute to depressed feelings and lethargy. SAD can happen during other seasons, too.

Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression happens after a woman gives birth and is more than just a case of the “baby blues”. The woman feels immense sadness and emptiness for longer than a period of two weeks, which can impact not just her emotions, but her behaviors and physical health. If left untreated, it can interfere with a mother’s ability to bond with her baby.

Substance-induced Mood Disorder

Another one of the types of mood disorders that can surprise some is the substance-induced kind. This can develop when a person becomes addicted to drugs or alcohol or as a withdrawal symptom when they become sober. While many people use substances to try to cover up feelings like depression or anxiety, abusing drugs and alcohol can increase them. As well, a person who stops taking them may find the same mental health symptoms become problematic when no longer awash in substance abuse.

Sometimes when a person develops a serious medical condition, it causes the onset of a mood disorder such as depression. When this happens, the individual should pursue treatment for their mood disorder alongside any accompanying treatment for their health condition.

How To Treat Different Types of Mood Disorders

Different types of mood disorders require different specifics in order to treat them. Perhaps the most common type of treatment for mood disorders includes psychotherapy, which provides one-on-one sessions with a trained therapist. A combination of psychiatry and med management allows a person to also benefit from FDA-approved medications while their usage is monitored by a physician. Other outpatient care, such as group therapy and holistic therapy, can contribute to healing from mood disorders.

If the person also struggles with addiction to drugs or alcohol, it proves important to seek help for that at the same time they receive mood disorder treatment. This situation, called dual diagnosis, is common for many people, and a quality treatment program can address both conditions simultaneously.

Get Treatment For These Types of Mood Disorders in Atlanta, GA

Several types of mood disorders exist, each one creating difficulties in the lives of the people who deal with them. If you have a mood disorder and don’t know how to manage it, we can help. New View Wellness in Atlanta provides multiple types of therapy that help people learn the facts about their condition and how they can manage their symptoms. Our outpatient options provide a menu of different therapies to choose from that help people make real progress in living with a mood disorder. If you would like to learn more about how we can help you, contact us today.