An Overview of Mood Disorders - Fact Sheet

A mood disorder is a condition characterised by distorted, excessive or inappropriate moods or emotions. Unlike normal fluctuations in mood, the extremes of a mood disorder can be debilitating.

Classified as a mental illness, mood disorders go beyond the normal fluctuations in mood which are associated with tiredness, hunger, physical illness, stress or hormonal fluctuations. Mood disorders can have a significant negative impact upon all areas of life because the fluctuations are so extreme, rapid or long-lasting and because each of the disorders also show physical symptoms such as too little or too much sleep, excessive or inadequate energy and changes in weight or sexual activity.

Australia-wide, 4.5% of the population self-reported having mood disorders in 2001 (ABS 2001 National Health Survey, Australia’s Health 2004, AIHW)

Two of the most common mood disorders are depression and bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness.

Bipolar Disorder

Description:

Extreme mood swings punctuated by periods of generally even-keeled behaviour characterize this disorder. Bipolar disorder tends to run in families. This disorder typically begins in the mid-twenties and continues throughout life. Without treatment, people who have bipolar disorder often go through devastating life events such as marital break-ups, job loss, substance abuse, and suicide.

Symptoms:

Mania:

Depression

Mania and depression may vary in both duration and degree of intensity.

Treatment:

Eighty to ninety percent of people who have bipolar disorder can be treated effectively with medication and psychotherapy. Self-help groups can offer emotional support and assistance in recognizing signs of relapse to avert a full-blown episode of bipolar disorder. The most commonly prescribed medications to treat bipolar disorder are three mood stabilizers: lithium carbonate, carbamazepine, and sodium valproate.

Depression

Description:

When a person has feelings of sadness that persist beyond a few weeks, he or she may have depression.

Around one million Australian adults and 100,000 young people live with depression each year. On average, one in five people will experience depression in their lifetime – one in four females and one in six males. Researchers do not know the exact mechanisms that trigger depression. Two neurotransmitters – natural substances that allow brain cells to communicate with one another – are implicated in depression: serotonin and norepinephrine.

Symptoms:

Symptoms of depression include:

Treatment:

Some types of cognitive/behavioural therapy and interpersonal therapy may be as effective as medications for some people who have depression. Special bright light helps many people who have seasonal affective disorder.

Three major types of medication are used to treat depression: Tricyclics; the newer selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAO inhibitors).

Electroconvulsive therapy uses small amounts of electricity applied to the scalp to affect neurotransmitters in the brain. Usually referred to as ECT, this highly controversial and potentially life-saving technique is considered only when other therapies have failed, when a person is seriously medically ill and/or unable to take medication, or when a person is very likely to commit suicide. Substantial improvements in the equipment, dosing guidelines and anaesthesia have significantly reduced the possibility of side effects.

Further Information