The 6 types of mood disorders

Our mood moves us. When we are sad we tend to turn off, to seek to avoid action and to withdraw from things, while when we are happy and euphoric we tend to have energy and want to act.

Although some people act very rationally and say to put their emotions aside, it is they who allow us to motivate us to do or not do something, to decide if we like something or not or if we tend to approach or avoid situations or stimuli.

It also influences how we see the world and ourselves. In short, it is something very relevant and that largely marks our ability to adapt. But more and more we find people whose state of mind is not adaptive, it is fixed at one extreme in a pathological way and hinders their well-being and functionality. We are talking about mood disorders.

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What do we call mood disorders?

Mood disorders are understood to be that set of psychic alterations linked to the presence of moods altered in a more or less persistent way that generate a significant alteration in the life of the person,

resulting in said extreme and pathological state of mind making it difficult for the person to adapt to their daily life.

These are disorders that cause deep suffering to the person himself, altering aspects such as self-esteem, the way of seeing the world and events and of attributing causes and responsibilities. They affect not only the affective environment itself, but also cognition and even the perception of the environment. They also generate repercussions in all areas of life, varying the way of relating to the environment and with the rest of the subjects that are part of it.

We are before the group of disorders, together with that of anxiety disorders, more prevalent worldwide, with a high percentage of the population suffering from some type of affectation of this type. It should also be noted that the other group of disorders that we have just mentioned, anxiety disorders, are deeply linked to these being frequent that they appear together or that the ailments generated by one end up causing the other.

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Disorders included

Within mood disorders we can find some of the mental disorders with the highest incidence and prevalence worldwide.

Some of the most relevant nosological and diagnostic entities are the following, although we have to bear in mind that we can also find depressive disorders and unspecified bipolar disorders (which do not meet sufficient characteristics of the disorders that we are going to talk about but are linked) and those induced by substances and / or medical illness.

1. Major depressive disorder

The most prevalent mood disorder of all and one of the best-known mental disorders. It is characterized by the presence for at least two weeks of a sad and downcast mood most of the day together with the loss or decrease of motivation and the ability to feel pleasure, as well as other symptoms such as sleep, eating and concentration problems, sluggishness or agitation, fatigue, hopelessness and passivity.

They also often have trouble making decisions and may experience suicidal thoughts and wishes.

2. Dysthymia (current persistent depressive disorder)

Similar to the previous one but generally with less intensity in the symptoms and with a much longer duration (and can become chronic), the one is identified as such. disorder characterized by being present for at least two years for most of the day for most days (not having symptom-free periods of more than two months in a row) of a depressed and sad mood, as well as eating problems, sleeping problems, fatigue, low self-esteem, hopelessness, and problems concentrating and drinking decisions.

Although at a specific moment may seem less severe than major depression as its symptoms are less severeIt must also be taken into account that the problems remain for much longer, producing wear due to accumulation that must be taken into account.

3. Bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder is another of the main and best-known mood disorders, in which there is generally an alternation between manic episodes (in which an expansive and irritable mood, high energy level, feelings of grandeur that can lead to delirium occurs for at least a week, verbiage, racing thinking, distractibility, risky behaviors and in some cases hallucinations at such a high level that hospitalization is sometimes required) or hypomanic (similar to the previous one but of less intensity and duration, being present for at least four days and although observable does not generate deterioration) and depressive episodes (equivalent in symptomatology to the symptoms described in major depression, which actually implies the existence of this type of episodes).

In reality there is not one, but two basic types of bipolar disorder. In type 1 bipolar disorder, the subject experiences or has experienced at least one manic or mixed episode, which may or may not be preceded or followed by a depressive and hypomanic episode. To diagnose type 2, it is necessary that there be at least one depressive episode and one hypomanic episode (without there having been any manic or mixed episode).

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4. Cyclothymia or cyclothymic disorder

Cyclothymia is understood to be that mood disorder in which the subject presents multiple hypomanic and depressive symptoms alternating, not severe enough to diagnose a depressive or bipolar episode or disorder for at least two years. Symptoms are ongoing and there is usually a rapid alternation, in days.

We would be facing the equivalent of the relationship between dysthymia and depression but in the case of the disorder bipolar, being milder than bipolar in symptomatology but much longer and with longer cycles rapid.

Changes to the DSM-5

Although most professionals still consider them as mood disorders, the truth is that this diagnostic label has disappeared as such in the latest version of one of the leading reference manuals, the DSM-5. And it is that in this one it has been chosen to stop encompassing all mood disorders in one only category to do it in two, by virtue of the existence of two generic types of this disorder.

In this way, at present we can find that instead of mood disorders the different The aforementioned psychopathologies fall into two broad categories: bipolar disorders and bipolar disorders. depressive

This decision can generate the problem of considering them very different clinical entities when they are often related, but in practice they are still dealing with the same problems that were previously known, which has a great impact on a practical level.

What is relevant is the creation of new added diagnostic labels, which, although they are no longer called that, would also form part of those known as mood disorders.

Added Disorders in DSM-5

In addition to those previously mentioned, in the latest version of the DSM we find that some new diagnostic labels have been generated. In this sense, the novelties include two disorders previously not identified as belonging to mood disorders or included in other disorders.

1. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder

Although the existence of premenstrual syndrome was previously known, being something very widespread and suffered by a large number of women, the DSM-5 has added said syndrome as a disorder.

It is considered as such the presence during most menstrual cycles of affective lability (i.e. rapid mood swings), irritability, anxiety, intense tension, self-loathing, or depression along with fatigue, sleep problems, appetite disturbances, pain, disinterest and concentration problems, being necessary that at least five of these symptoms occur during the week prior to the arrival of menstruation.

2. Destructive Mood Dysregulation Disorder

This disorder is defined by the presence for at least one year and almost daily of disproportionate anger and irritability for the situation that generates them, exploding in the form of verbal or physical attacks (which can lead to aggression) with a persistent irascible mood between attacks.

These occur at least three times and can be observed per week in more than two different contexts, appearing the first symptoms before ten years of age and not diagnosed before six or after eighteen years of age.

Bibliographic references:

• American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Fifth edition. DSM-V. Masson, Barcelona.