Mood Disorders

Depressive Disorders

Depressive disorders cause loss of pleasure in most or all activities and ultimately affect your quality of life. You could have less energy, trouble sleeping, trouble concentrating, changes in appetite and lack interest. You also could have feelings of worthlessness or guilt and be in pain and tired.

Types of depressive disorders include:

• Major depression — typically lasts for at least two weeks and often longer than four weeks.

• Seasonal affective disorder — occurs at certain times of the year, typically with a change of season.

• Persistent depressive disorder — a long-term form of depression that causes feelings of sadness, emptiness and often hopelessness.

• Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder — a diagnosis used for children and teenagers. It features constant, serious and lasting testiness with frequent temper outbursts that are not consistent with the age of the child.

• Premenstrual dysphoric disorder — features mood changes, hopelessness and feelings of being overwhelmed or out of control. These symptoms occur in the 10 days before a menstrual period and go away within a few days after a period begins.

• Depression related to a medical condition — features a great loss of pleasure in most or all activities due to the physical effects of another medical health problem.

• Depression related to substance or medicine use — features depression symptoms that start during or soon after using a street drug or medicine, or after withdrawal from these substances.

Bipolar Disorders

Bipolar disorders feature mood swings that include emotional highs called manic or hypomanic episodes, and lows, called depressive episodes. These highs and lows are usually continuous. But they also can change from high to low or low to high — or shift into a normal mood. Sometimes both the highs and lows might occur together. This is called a mixed episode. You could be easily distracted and have racing thoughts. Your sleep could also be affected.

Types include:

• Bipolar I disorder — features a constantly elevated mood that lasts for at least one week. This is called a manic episode. It affects your overall ability to function and makes it more likely that you'll take part in risky behavior.

• Bipolar II disorder — features constantly elevated moods — called hypomanias — that last at least four days and less than one week. There may be risky behaviors, but usually hypomania does not greatly affect your ability to function. But other people should be able to notice that something is different about you.

• Cyclothymia — features shifts from emotional highs to emotional lows that can affect your ability to function. The emotional ups and downs are not as extreme as those in bipolar I or II disorder.

• Bipolar related to a medical condition — features symptoms that are the same as bipolar disorder, but they can be due to a medical condition. For example, Cushing's disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke and traumatic brain injury can cause bipolar mania or hypomania.

• Bipolar related to the use of certain substances — features symptoms that are the same as bipolar disorder, but they can be due to alcohol, street drugs or medicine.