How To Free Yourself
from the Gripping Symptoms of Mood Disorders

Humans are capable of feeling varied emotions on both ends of the spectrum—happiness, pleasure, and excitement, as well as sadness, grief, fear, anger, and guilt. Moods are powerful. They can influence, even control, the way you act, feel, think, and respond to internal and external stimuli. They can push you to greater heights and help you achieve your career, relationship, and emotional goals, or they can stand in the way of living a normal life.

It is normal to experience bad moods in some situations: you failed an academic test, you broke up with your boyfriend/girlfriend, a loved one passed away, you lost a job, you can’t submit work on time because of a poor Internet connection. However, if you are experiencing frequent, unjustifiable, and intense mood shifts that prevent you from leading a normal day-to day life, you could be suffering from a mood disorder.

According to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, there are about 20.9 million American adults who are suffering from mood disorders. Despite the number, many sufferers are not getting proper assessment and treatment. One reason is because many tend to underestimate the disorder’s ability to overwhelm them. Seeing a therapist can be a helpful first step; they can help you understand your condition as well as treat it.

Mood Disorders: What Are They?

“Mood disorders are a category of illnesses (or psychological condition) that describes a serious change in mood,” says Mental Health America. The term is loosely used by professionals to refer to different kinds of mood changes that have psychological roots. The most common are clinical/major depression and bipolar disorder. Other types include dysthymia, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and seasonal affective disorder (SAD), as well as mood disorders that are health-related or substance-induced.

The Causes and Triggers

There are several factors that may contribute to the development of a mood condition, but the exact mechanisms are still not clear. Most experts believe these conditions are related to an imbalance in levels of chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters, such as noradrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin. Though certain conditions can be more complicated, one thing is certain: there is a higher chance of developing a mood condition if it “runs in the blood.”

Genetic predisposition can increase a person’s risk, but people without a genetic predisposition may still develop a mood disorder. It can be triggered by traumatic life events, diet, lifestyle, medications, medical conditions, or substance abuse, and at any age. In fact, according to PsychCentral, “bipolar disorder is appearing at increasingly early ages. This … may be due to under-diagnosis of the disorder in the past. This change in the age of onset may be a result of social and environmental factors that are not yet understood.”

Recognizing the Symptoms

Moods can be volatile and shifting, especially for teens, children, and women before menstruation or in their first trimester of pregnancy. It is often difficult to tell if a child or adolescent has a mood disorder because their symptoms can be different from the ones that adults typically manifest. However, ignoring their moodiness can be risky because their symptoms may get worse with time.

Furthermore, some symptoms are not easy to recognize. For example, the symptoms of dysthymic disorder are quite similar to those of depression, which according to WebMD are “chronic low moods, feelings of hopelessness or helplessness, trouble sleeping or daytime sleepiness, poor appetite or eating too much, low self-esteem, and trouble concentrating or making decisions.” Many other conditions have these common symptoms, as well as aggressive behavior, emptiness, irritability, and self-harming behavior.

Where to Find Hope

If you are gripped by uncomfortable thoughts and negative emotions, they may not dissipate without proper diagnosis and treatment. The symptoms are indicators that something is wrong inside. If your moods interfere with your ability to live normally, see a capable therapist contracted with Carolina Counseling Services — Pinehurst, NC, to prevent the worsening of your condition.

There is no reason to feel hopeless and helpless; mood disorders are treatable. With the help of a professional therapist at Carolina Counseling Services — Pinehurst, NC, you can regain the hope that’s slipping through your fingers and free yourself from the dreadful symptoms of a mood disorder. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Let us help you get there.

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