Mood Disorders

GENERAL INFORMATION:

What is it? Mood disorders are also called affective disorders. You may have a mood disorder when your mood or emotions are out of control. When your mood is out of control, you may feel overly happy or overly sad. A mood is an emotion or feeling that lasts a long time. Moods range from feeling sad to feeling happy. Moods affect how we act (our personality). Your mood also affects how you feel about yourself and life in general.

Causes: A mood disorder problem may be caused by changes in your life. Chemical changes in your body can also cause a mood disorder. Women who have a mood disorder are more likely to get depressed than men. Following are reasons why you may be at a higher risk for getting this disorder.

• Someone else in your family has had a mood disorder.
  
  
• You are between the ages of 25 to 44 years.
  
  
• You use illegal drugs or abuse alcohol.

Signs or Symptoms: You may find that signs and symptoms of mood disorder start very slowly. Other people may see changes before you see or feel them. Following are signs and symptoms of a mood disorder.

• Changes in your eating habits, energy level, weight, or sleeping patterns.
  
  
• Do not look after yourself very well, like bathing or caring for your hair.
  
  
• Feel differently about sex than you did before.
  
  
• Feel differently about being with other people.
  
  
• Feel differently about yourself or your future.
  
  
• People may have trouble getting along with you.
  
  
• Work or other activities may suffer because you lose interest or cannot find answers to your problems.

Care: You may need to have blood tests, an x-ray, EKG, or a CT scan. You may also need to take medicine to control your mood swings. At first you will probably be seen in a clinic or caregiver's office. You may need to see your caregiver 1 to 4 times a month. You may need to go into the hospital for tests and treatment.

Coping: Accepting that you have a mood disorder is hard. You and those close to you may feel angry, sad, or frightened. These are normal feelings. Talk to your caregivers, your family, or your friends about your feelings. Call or write one of the following organizations for more information about mood disorders.

• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Public Information & Communication Branch
  6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 8184, MSC 9663
  Bethesda, MD 20892-9663
  Phone: 1-301-443-4513
  Phone: 1-866-615-6464
  Web Address: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/
  

• Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)
  730 N. Franklin Street, Suite 501
  Chicago, IL 60610-7224
  Phone: 1-800-826-3632
  Web Address: http://www.dbsalliance.org
  

CARE AGREEMENT:

You have the right to help plan your care. To help with this plan, you must learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. You can then discuss treatment options with your caregivers. Work with them to decide what care may be used to treat you. You always have the right to refuse treatment.

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