Telehealth for mood disorders
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Have you ever wondered if you or someone close to you has a mood disorder? Here’s what it means, Mood disorders refer to the behavior where one’s mood is disrupted to the level that it interferes with their ability to perform well at work and in relationships. A person may feel empty, disoriented, depressed, or irritable, all of this alternating with excessive happiness can be considered symptoms of a potential mood disorder.Â
Have you ever wondered if you or someone close to you has a mood disorder? Here’s what it means, Mood disorders refer to the behaviour where one’s mood is disrupted to the level that it interferes with their ability to perform well at work and in relationships.Â
Types of mood disorders
- Major Depressive Disorder - Common symptoms of depression include a low feeling or an inability to enjoy activities you once enjoyed. A prolonged feeling of depression may affect an individual at a deep psychological level which may result in various emotional and physical problems.
- Bipolar Disorders - Notice extreme shifts in your mood? There may be a chance of you having Bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is one of the most common disorders and can be treated over time with psychological consultations. Our psychologists will help you manage your episodes and ultimately enhance the quality of your life.
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) - This disorder as the name suggests affects the mood depending on the seasons. One may get a positive diagnosis if mania and depressive episodes are noticed to have a pattern with changing seasons.
- Cyclothymic Disorder - This kind of disorder is not as extreme as other mood disorders. A person suffering through Cyclothymic disorder may experience psychological highs and lows but not to the level that it would affect one’s daily activities.
- Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder - A common disorder amongst women before the onset of their menstrual cycle is Premenstrual dysphoric disorder. A woman is likely to experience frequent mood changes and easy irritability.
- Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) - Dysthymia can be understood as a form of depression that can last for extensive periods of time. You may have dysthymia if you have symptoms such as losing interest in basic daily activities or being unable to find a purpose in life.
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder - Most commonly seen in children where others may notice frequent outbursts and persistent irritability inconsistent with the child’s developmental age.
- Depression Related to Medical Illness - People suffering through illnesses like heart stroke, HIV, Hormonal imbalance etc are more prone to depressive episodes.
- Depression Induced by Substance Use or Medication - Depression many a time is a symptom that develops during or soon after substance use or after withdrawal from medication.
Mood disorder symptoms
- Loss of energy - This differs from the loss of energy one has after a night of improper sleep, rather it refers to a persistent loss of energy experienced in most or all day-to-day activities.
- Changes in appetite - Some people witness a loss of weight and appetite whereas some experience weight gain. This creates diet and mental health issues that should be addressed immediately in order to avoid any physical illnesses in the future.
- Changes in the sleeping pattern - People often witness changes in their sleep cycle with changes in mood. Sleep cycle changes are different from person to person. An individual might feel fatigued despite sleeping for over 10 hours and some people may feel well-rested with about 3-4 hours of sleep a night.
- Inability to concentrate - A shorter concentration span is noticed in most millennials of this generation however an inability in being able to complete simple tasks could indicate a mood disorder.
Causes of mood disorders
- Family history plays a huge role in an individual's personality and may be the reason for a positive diagnosis of a mood disorder
- Major life changes are a serious adjustment to one’s life and often hard to cope with leading to mental disorders.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is the trickiest part. A lot of people often read the symptoms and self-diagnose themselves but when it comes to mood disorders you need to be careful as everyone can relate to them on some level but only medical professionals can give a true diagnosis. This is where our team of highly experienced psychologists comes in. The process is fairly simple, a GP or a mental health professional will conduct a physical as well as a mental examination that involves a mood disorder questionnaire to understand all potential symptoms before presenting the patient with a diagnosis.
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Treatment for mood disorders
- Psychological treatments in which the patient would be required to come to therapy and benefit from cognitive-behavioural therapy, interpersonal therapy, and problem-solving therapy.
- Lifestyle changes to build a healthier lifestyle in the context of sleep schedules, healthier diets, spending time outdoors, and exercising regularly.
- Mood stabilisers are used to keep a person’s manic and hypomanic episodes in control.
At Inner Psych, we have a team of psychologists and other mental health professionals ready to help you in your whole journey from diagnosis to recovery. We provide online counselling to all parts of Australia to ensure the best for our patients. Do not hesitate to reach out today if you think you may be suffering from any form of mood disorder.