Mood Disorders2

Mood (affective) disorders
Depressive disorder (unipolar) and bipolar disorder

Mood and Mood Disorders
• Mood is a general feeling that can be long-lasting compared to emotions alone which can
be fleeting and short-term.
• Although moods can be temporary, when these moods persist to extremities and cause
significant dysfunction, these can cause long-term disturbances.
• While it is normal to experience periods of different moods, mood disorders are

characterized by emotional extremes and difficulties in regulating mood.
• Mood disorders can significantly impact an individual, causing disruptive and prolonged
shifts in their emotional state, leading to feelings of intense sadness, hopelessness,
irritability, or uncontrollable euphoria, thereby affecting their overall well-being,
relationships, and daily functioning.
Describing Mood Disorders
• Disorders of mood are often called affective disorders, since affect is the
external display of mood or emotion which is, however, felt internally.
Depression and mania are often seen as opposite ends of an affective or
mood spectrum. Classically, mania and depression are “poles” apart, thus
generating the terms “unipolar” depression (i.e., as in patients who just
experience the down or depressed pole) and “bipolar” [i.e., as in patients who
at different times experience either the up (manic) pole or the down
(depressed) pole]. In practice, however, depression and mania may occur
simultaneously, in which case a “mixed” mood state exists. Mania may also
occur in lesser degrees, known as “hypomania”; or a patient may switch so
quickly between mania and depression that it is called “rapid cycling.” Mood
disorders can be usefully visualized not only to distinguish different mood dis
orders from one another but also to summarize the course of illness for
individual patients by showing them their disorders mapped onto a mood
chart. Thus, mood ranges from hypomania to mania at the top, to euthymia
(or normal mood) in the middle, to dysthymia and depression at the bottom.
What Is A Mood Disorder?
• Mood disorders are a broad umbrella term used for conditions in which disturbance of
mood is the central feature. Common mood disorders include different types of depressive
and bipolar disorders.
• Mood disorders are found to affect about 20% of the general population at any given time.
Specifically, in the US for instance, 17% of the population is thought to struggle
with depression over the course of their lifetime, with bipolar disorders affecting 1% of the
general population.
• Whilst the rate for bipolar disorders is significantly lower, many researchers agree that
many instances of manic moods (describing the emotional ‘highs’ of bipolar disorder)
often go unnoticed or are deemed unproblematic, meaning that many people may go
undiagnosed.
Types of Mood Disorder
Major depressive disorder
• Major depressive disorder is characterized by prolonged and persistent

periods of extreme sadness.
• While it is normal to experience sadness or grief during traumatic life

events, if this depression continues even when the events are over, or
there is no apparent cause for the sadness, this may classify as clinical
or major depression.
• This is a very common mental disorder that is accompanied by a variety
of physical, cognitive, and emotional symptoms.
• Symptoms of depression can vary from mild to severe and can appear differently in each person.
These symptoms can include:
• Feeling sad, irritable, empty and/or hopeless.

• Losing interest or pleasure in activities you once enjoyed.
• A significant change in appetite (eating much less or more than usual) and/or weight (notable loss
or gain unrelated to dieting).
• Sleeping too little or too much.
• Decreased energy or increased tiredness or fatigue
• Increase in purposeless physical activity (e.g., inability to sit still, pacing, handwringing) or slowed
movements or speech that are severe enough to be observable by others.
• Feeling worthless or excessively guilty.
• Difficulty thinking or concentrating, forgetfulness, and/or difficulty making minor decisions.
• Thoughts of death, suicidal ideation, or suicide attempts.
• It is normal to experience moments of sadness or feeling “down in the dumps” or the blues as part
of the human experience. However, a diagnosis of depression requires that the above symptoms
occur for most of the day, nearly every day, for more than two weeks, along with a clear change in
day-to-day functioning (e.g., in work/school performance, personal relationships, and hobbies).
Fortunately, depression is very treatable.
Explanations/Risk factors for depression RisR
Depression can affect anyone—even those who seemingly have it all. Several factors can
play a role in depression. Several factors can play a role in depression:
• Biochemical: Differences in certain chemicals in the brain (such as the neurotransmiters

serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine) may contribute to symptoms of depression.
• Genetic: Depression can run in families. For example, if one identical twin has depression,
the other has a 70 percent chance of having the illness sometime in life.
• Personality: People with low self-esteem, who are easily overwhelmed by stress, or who
are generally pessimistic may be more likely to experience depression.
• Environmental: Continuous exposure to violence, neglect, abuse or poverty can also pose
risks for developing depression.
Beck Depression Inventory
• The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI, BDI-1A, BDI-II), created by Aaron T. Beck, is a 21-
question multiple-choice self-report inventory, one of the most widely used psychometric
tests for measuring the severity of depression. Its development marked a shift among mental
health professionals, who had until then, viewed depression from
a psychodynamic perspective, instead of it being rooted in the patient's own thoughts.
• In its current version, the BDI-II is designed for individuals aged 13 and over, and is
composed of items relating to symptoms of depression such as hopelessness and irritability,
cognitions such as guilt or feelings of being punished, as well as physical symptoms such as
fatigue, weight loss, and lack of interest in sex.
• There are three versions of the BDI—the original BDI, first published in 1961 and later revised
in 1978 as the BDI-1A, and the BDI-II, published in 1996. The BDI is widely used as an
assessment tool by health care professionals and researchers in a variety of settings.
• The BDI was used as a model for the development of the Children's Depression
Inventory (CDI), first published in 1979 by clinical psychologist Maria Kovacs.
Bipolar Disorders
• There are 2 types of bipolar disorder: type 1 and type 2.
• Both are episodic mood disorders but they are distinct from each other due
to the types of mood episodes experienced.
• Type 1: (Bipolar Disorder 1) :
• Defined by the occurance of at least one manic or mixed episode. A manic

episode lasts at least one week and is characterized by extreme emotional
highs and extreme emotional lows that can last for several weeks or longer.
Bipolar 1 Disorder
• The extreme highs are called mania and involve euphoric and/or irritable
moods and increased energy or activity. An individual who experiences
mania may present as being over-active and having high levels of energy.
They may feel very happy, self-important, have racing thoughts, be
unusually talkative, and be easily agitated.
• The extreme lows of bipolar I disorder are symptomatic of depression
symptoms. They may feel sad, hopeless, lethargic, have difficulty
concentrating, feel worthless, and lose interest in everyday activities.
• Bipolar I disorder is thought to be the most severe form of bipolar
disorder, as manic episodes can cause disruption to everyday life, such as
affecting work life and relationships. Someone who is experiencing a manic
episode may be more likely to engage in risky behavior, which can have a
detrimental impact on their well-being and safety.
Bipolar II disorder
• This disorder causes cycles of depression which is similar to those who

have bipolar I disorder.
• Individuals with bipolar II disorder also experience hypomania, a less
severe form of mania.
• Hypomanic periods are not as intense or as disruptive as manic episodes,
and people are usually able to handle daily tasks despite these episodes.
• It involves increased irritability, increased activity or increased energy
• Behaviours shown will be lesser versions of those in a manic episode, for
example increased talkativeness, increased self-esteem and impulsivity
• There is no history of manic or mixed episodes

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Mood (affective) disorders

Depressive disorder (unipolar) and bipolar disorder

• While it is normal to experience periods of different moods, mood disorders are

• Major depressive disorder is characterized by prolonged and persistent

• While it is normal to experience sadness or grief during traumatic life

• Feeling sad, irritable, empty and/or hopeless.

• Biochemical: Differences in certain chemicals in the brain (such as the neurotransmiters

• Type 1: (Bipolar Disorder 1) :

• Defined by the occurance of at least one manic or mixed episode. A manic

• This disorder causes cycles of depression which is similar to those who

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