Depression and Mood Disorders

Mood disorders are psychological disorders characterized by time of depression, sometimes alternating with periods of elevated mood.

While many persons go through sad or elated moods from period to period, persons with mood illness experience from harsh or long-lasting mood states that upset their daily performance. Among the common mood disorders are major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and dysthymia. In classifying and analysing mood disorders, doctors conclude if the mood disorder is unipolar or bipolar. When only one tremendous in mood (the miserable state) is experienced, this situation is called unipolar. Major depression refers to a single severe period of depression, marked by negative or hopeless thoughts and physical symptoms like fatigue. In main depressive disorder, some patients have isolated episodes of depression. In between these episodes, the patient does not experience depressed or have other symptoms connected with depression. Other patients have additional frequent episodes.