In the present times, societal members seem to face many problems that fall under the mental disorders. For instance, Qureshi and Al-Bedah, (2013) noted that mood disorders are the commonest mental issue that affects over 154 million people in the global. Such disorders include but not limited to bipolar, depression, schizophrenia and the SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). The immediate mark of infamy that is placed on all these conditions is that they are an illness. Notably, many people fail to understand the diagnosis of these disorders. Depression, for instance, is one of the symptoms of mood disorder. However, many people seem to confuse between normal emotions and biological depression as a form of illness. Additionally, there is an irrational thought or rather a notion that mood disorders cannot be treated. As such, individuals perceive that in one way or another there is a disconnection between the victims of such disorders with civilization. Therefore, this research article will try to provide an insight into facts related to the diagnosis and treatment of mood disorders in an attempt to address the controversial issues that are associated with this subject.
Report Organization
This research paper is organized as follows. First, it defines mood disorders and provides an insight into their characteristics. Second, the article provides a discussion about the diagnosis of these disorders. Third, this dissertation provides an understanding of the various methods that can be used to treat mood disorder cases.
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Contributions
The researcher believes that the findings herein will be instrumental in addressing the problem in the society by changing the perceptions that societal members have regarding mood disorders. Notably, understanding the diagnosis of the disorders plus the different approaches that can be deployed to revert the situation is critical in helping the victims of mood disorders (Qureshi & Al-Bedah, 2013) .
Understanding Mood Disorders
Humans experience periods of sadness or elevated merriness depending on the situations that life offered them at that particular time. Naturally, the human life was designed to be that way. Nevertheless, there are categories of individuals who face considerable mood disturbance that is beyond the normal calibration. People who belong to this category suffer from what is clinically referred to as mood disorder (Qureshi & Al-Bedah, 2013) . The term mood is conventionally used to refer to a feeling at a particular moment. Nevertheless, from a medical perspective, the term mood is to refer to a persistent state of emotion that influences the perception of an individual regarding the world in general.
Mood disorders in this regards are defined by persistent and considerable disturbance of an individual’s emotional state. As a result, two categories of mood depression have been identified namely depression and mania (Quello, Brady, & Sonne, 2005). Therefore, many cases of mood disorders fall either fall under depressive or bipolar disorders. Notably, these two broad categories were formerly described as manic-depressive disorders. Research shows that many people who suffer from bipolar mood disorder show both depression and manic episodes. Therefore, the term bipolar was adopted to show mood fluctuations from one pole to another (McCormick, Murray, & McNew, 2015) .
Characteristics of the Depressive Disorders
Qureshi & Al-Bedah, (2013) noted that depression is the major cause of disability in the global. The author also noted that depression incidents were mainly affecting females compared to men. In addition, the researchers showed that depression disorders were common among people who are lowly ranked in the social structure. Such individuals are either uneducated, unmarried, divorced or lack intact families. Qureshi & Al-Bedah, (2013) were able to indicate that depression had negative repercussions on individuals. These include failure to show up in the workplace, extensive use of healthcare hence increasing the costs of living as well as reduced productivity. On the other hand, depression forced individuals to engage in substance abuse and criminal activities. Depression is also characterized by sexual dysfunction as well as the development of suicidal thoughts. Furthermore, Qureshi & Al-Bedah, (2013) indicated that depression has been the major cause of reduced life expectancy, increased rates of aging and premature deaths.
Notably, people who are experiencing depressed mood usually feel sad, hopelessness, worthlessness, or become easily irritated. They also have a problem when it comes to concentrating and making decisions. Insomnia and lack of appetite are other experiences that depressed individuals face.
Characteristics of the Manic Disorder
The bipolar disorder is characterized by the development of the manic episode. Qureshi & Al-Bedah, (2013) indicated that manic disorder prevails equally among both men and women. Usually, people with manic mood demonstrate elevated energy levels. They may be euphoric, very irritable, or abnormally enthusiastic or sociable. They may also appear to be very talkative or agitated, experience little sleep and racing thought. This may make them pursue many projects or activities that offer them pleasure such as shopping or engaging in sex with various partners within a short time.
Additional Characteristics of Mood Disorders
Mood disorders significantly affect the lives of individuals in much more ways. For instance, a person may fail to function to normally while at work or in their social endeavors. Such impairment may affect their relationships negatively. As such, the symptoms may be extreme to the extents that hospitalization may be required in order to guarantee societal members of their security. Psychotic features have also been noted under severe cases of depressed and manic disorders. Psychosis, in this case, implies a disconnection with the reality. Notably, psychosis is characterized by hallucinations and delusions.
Prevalence of Mood Disorders
Reports indicate that many adults and adolescents in the global are likely to suffer from mood disorders globally. In the U.S. for example, about 20% of adults develop mood disorders. Research has also revealed that about 9.5% of the adult citizens’ contract mood disorders annually. From this population, 5% cases were severe. Regressively, most victims of mood disorders do not seek medical attention. Mood disorders are the leading cause of disability. McCormick, Murray, & McNew, (2015) indicated that bipolar depression is the widely experienced mood disorder in the global. A research by Qureshi & Al-Bedah, (2013) was also able to show that mood disorder was most prevalent among the women than men.
Diagnosis of Mood Disorders
Various medical practitioners have mandated the role of diagnosis for a mood disorder. These include mental health professionals, nurse practitioners or physicians. The process of diagnosis needs a psychiatrist to interview the client who has been accompanied by his/her relatives. Notably, individuals who are experiencing mood disorders are unlikely to seek treatment for their symptoms such as reduced or elevated energy and insomnia. Sometimes when these patients are taken to doctors, an accurate diagnosis may fail to be achieved because the psychiatrist may lack ample time to explore the symptoms displayed by the client. The client may fail to disclose the necessary information that may be needed for proper diagnosis. Apparently, this is because many people associate mood disorder with failure. For instance, men may deny admitting feeling sad, hapless or worthless even when a doctor asks.
Treatment of Mood Disorders
It ought to be pointed out that mood disorder is a treatable condition. Nevertheless, some mood disorders still persist even when treatment has been initiated. For instance, some individuals who have experienced either acute or brief episode of a mood disorder have been treated and the condition was resolved. On the other hand, there have been some instances where the depression persisted for a couple of months or even years. The patients under this case experienced recurring episode in their entire life. As opposed to the unipolar disorder, the bipolar disorder needs a longtime treatment (McCormick, Murray, & McNew, 2015) .
Notably, two types of treatment for mood disorders have been identified. These are psychotherapy as well as medication. Psychotherapy aims at managing the symptoms in addition to addressing the environmental issues that might be triggering the disorder. The medication used during the treatment aims at restoring the chemical imbalances caused in the client’s brain. A couple of psychotherapy approaches have been designed to treat mood disorders. Nonetheless, studies show that the most appropriate approach when dealing with a mood disorder is the cognitive behavioral therapy (Quello, Brady, & Sonne, 2005) .
It should be noted that psychotherapy is sufficient in case the depression is mild. Although under severe cases, it is appropriate to initiate medication initially. There has been an argument among the clinicians that medication is not a treatment for a mood disorder. Those opposed to medication state that medication does not provide a solution to psychological related issues such as low esteem which is typical in depressed cases. However, Qureshi & Al-Bedah, (2013) established that depressed symptoms re-occurred to patients who stopped their medications abruptly. Psychotherapy is integral since it provides the patients with a mechanism of coping up with the conditions that are leading to the development of the condition.
McCormick, Murray, & McNew, (2015) stated that the medication of bipolar disorder needs to be ongoing. Therefore, the patients need to be given mood stabilizers the help in reducing manic and hypomanic cases in such patients. The authors also indicated that other forms of medications can be used alongside mood stabilizers. Importantly, a psychotherapy plan ought to be incorporated into the treatment plan so that it can help the affected individuals to be acquainted with coping skills that would help them in managing their disorder. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of the treatment will depend on a couple of factors such as how the client complies with it, the level of professionalism of the treatment provider and the level of severity of the disorder. These three factors are essential in determining whether the disorder reoccurs or not.
In conclusion, mood disorders refer to persistent and considerable disturbance of an individual’s emotional state. There are two categories of mood depression that have been identified namely depression and mania. Mood disorders significantly affect the lives of individuals such that a person may fail to function normally. The symptoms may be extreme to the extents that hospitalization would be indispensable. Nevertheless, there are two types of treatment namely the psychotherapy and medication. Psychotherapy treatment helps the affected individuals to be acquainted with coping skills that would help them in managing their disorder while medication aims at restoring the chemical imbalances caused in the client’s brain.
References
McCormick, U., Murray, B., & McNew, B. (2015). Diagnosis and treatment of patients with bipolar disorder: a review for advanced practice nurses. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners , 27 (9), 530-542. doi: 10.1002/2327-6924.12275
Quello, S. B., Brady, K. T., & Sonne, S. C. (2005). Mood disorders and substance use disorder: a complex comorbidity. Science & Practice Perspectives , 3 (1), 13-21.
Qureshi, N. A., & Al-Bedah, A. M. (2013). Mood disorders and complementary and alternative medicine: a literature review. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat , 9 , 639-658. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S43419.
