Mood Disorders Includes disabling disturbances in emotion from the sadness of depression to the unrealistic elation of mania

Mood disorders DSM-IV-TR lists major depression and bipolar disorder as the two principal kinds of mood disorders.

Cyclothymia and Dysthymia DSM-IV-TR also lists cyclothymia and dysthymia as the two chronic mood disorders in which symptoms are not considered sufficient to warrant a diagnosis of major depression or bipolar disorder.

Cyclothymia / dysthymia In cyclothymia, the person has frequent periods of depressed mood and hypomania, a change in behavior and mood that is less extreme than full-blown mania. In dysthymia, the person is chronically depressed.

Symptoms of Depression Great sadness, Feelings of worthlinessness and guilt Withdrawal for othrs Sleep disturbance Appetite disturbance Difficulty concentrating Difficulty maintain conversations Prefer being alone Self incriminating Easily agitated Frequently complain Somatic symptoms Feel victimized Loss of sexual desire Sexual dysfunction Loss of interest and pleasure in usual activities Substance abuse Poor hygiene

Major Theories of Depression psychoanalytic cognitive Interpersonal Biological (neuroscientific)

Psychoanalytic Psychoanalytic (Freudian) formulations stress a fixation in the oral stage that leads to a high level of dependency and an unconscious identification with a lost loved one whose desertion of the individual has resulted in anger turned inward. Psychoanalytic treatment tries to give the patient insight into childhood loss and feelings of inadequacy and self-blame.

Cognitive Beck's cognitive theory ascribes causal significance to negative schemas and cognitive biases and distortions. According to helplessness/hopelessness theory, early experiences in inescapable, hurtful situations instill a sense of hopelessness that can evolve into depression. Such individuals are likely to attribute failures to their own general and persistent inadequacies and faults. The aim of Beck's cognitive therapy is to uncover negative and illogical patterns of thinking and to teach more realistic ways of viewing events, the self, and adversity.

Interpersonal Interpersonal theory focuses on the problems depressed people have in relating to others and the negative responses they elicit from others. Depressed people push others away People don’t like being with those who are depressed. Depressed people have limited social networks of support Interpersonal therapy, which focuses on improving the patient's social interactions.

Biological theories Biological theories suggest that there may be an inherited predisposition for mood disorders, particularly for bipolar disorder. Early neurochemical theories related depression to low levels of serotonin and bipolar disorder to varying levels of norepinephrine (high in mania and low in depression). Recent research has focused on the postsynaptic receptors rather than on the amount of the various transmitters. Overactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is also found among depressive patients indicating that the endocrine system may also influence mood disorders. several antidepressant drugs, such as tricyclics, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and MAO inhibitors, have proved successful in lifting depression.