Mood disorders
Definition & Types
Mood disorders: Severe alteration in mood for much longer period of time. Mood
disturbances are intense and persistent to lead to serious problems in relationships and
work performance. In all of them there are extremes of emotion, soaring elation, deep
depression in the clinical picture.
Key moods
Depression, that involves feelings of extraordinary sadness and dejection
Mania, intense and unrealistic feelings of excitement and euphoria
Types of disorders
Unipolar depressive disorders: A person experience only depressive episodes. That
means, losing interest in formerly pleasurable activities or being markedly depressed
or both. Other symptoms are loss of appetite, changes in sleep and feelings of
worthlessness. (2 weeks and more)
Bipolar & Related disorders: A person experiences both depressive and manic
episodes. Occasional outbursts of irritability, euphoric and expansive mood.
Behavioral symptoms like goal directed activity, Mental symptoms e.g. high self-
esteem and fast mental activity, Physical symptoms e.g. decreased need for sleep. (1
week or more)
More calm symptoms= Hypomanic episode: Elevated expansive irritable mood for
at least 4 days. And three other symptoms corresponding to mania’s symptoms but
in a lesser degree. Less impairment in social and work life.
Prevalence of Mood disorders
Mood disorders: Second more common type of disorders after anxiety disorders. 1-10%
(1year prevalence). Less in African Americans. Relation with socioeconomic status. More
common in people involved in arts.
Major depressive episodes/ Unipolar major depression: Common as all anxiety forms, the
most common of mood disorders with an increase in the last decades. Always higher in
women.
Life prevalence 17%
Bipolar disorder: Less common. Lifetime risk is 1%.
, Unipolar disorders
Major depressive disorder
The major depressive disorder require that a person is in a major depressive episode and
never have had a manic, hypomanic or mixed episode. It causes clinical significantly distress
or impairment in social and work life or other forms of functioning. Symptoms of sadness
and variety of symptoms more severe than mild forms of depression. High overlap with
anxiety and depressive symptoms.
Major depressive episode: Presence of five or more symptoms during the same
two-week period of DSM.
Depression as a repeated disorder
Single or recurrent episodes. Depressive episodes typically last about 6-9 months if
untreated.
o In 10-20% of MDD symptoms do not remit for over 2 years → Persistent
depressive disorder. Chronic depression is associated with severe childhood
family problems and anxious personality in childhood.
Depressive symptoms that remit can return at a future point, this return is relapse
or recurrence.
o Relapse: Return of symptoms within a short period of time e.g. when
pharmacotherapy is terminated after symptoms remit so the symptoms
return probably because depression has not yet completed its course.
o Recurrence: Onset of a new episode of depression. It happens in 40-50% of
people with depressive disorder. More previous episodes more likely of
recurrence.
Depression through life
Onset often occurs during late adolescence up to middle adulthood but it can occur
from childhood to old age.
1/3 % of school age children meet the criteria for some form unipolar depressive
disorder.
15-20% experience major depressive disorder at some point and in subclinical level
10-20%.
Very likely to reoccur in adulthood. It continues in later life. It occurs less in 65 year
olds than young adults.
Definition & Types
Mood disorders: Severe alteration in mood for much longer period of time. Mood
disturbances are intense and persistent to lead to serious problems in relationships and
work performance. In all of them there are extremes of emotion, soaring elation, deep
depression in the clinical picture.
Key moods
Depression, that involves feelings of extraordinary sadness and dejection
Mania, intense and unrealistic feelings of excitement and euphoria
Types of disorders
Unipolar depressive disorders: A person experience only depressive episodes. That
means, losing interest in formerly pleasurable activities or being markedly depressed
or both. Other symptoms are loss of appetite, changes in sleep and feelings of
worthlessness. (2 weeks and more)
Bipolar & Related disorders: A person experiences both depressive and manic
episodes. Occasional outbursts of irritability, euphoric and expansive mood.
Behavioral symptoms like goal directed activity, Mental symptoms e.g. high self-
esteem and fast mental activity, Physical symptoms e.g. decreased need for sleep. (1
week or more)
More calm symptoms= Hypomanic episode: Elevated expansive irritable mood for
at least 4 days. And three other symptoms corresponding to mania’s symptoms but
in a lesser degree. Less impairment in social and work life.
Prevalence of Mood disorders
Mood disorders: Second more common type of disorders after anxiety disorders. 1-10%
(1year prevalence). Less in African Americans. Relation with socioeconomic status. More
common in people involved in arts.
Major depressive episodes/ Unipolar major depression: Common as all anxiety forms, the
most common of mood disorders with an increase in the last decades. Always higher in
women.
Life prevalence 17%
Bipolar disorder: Less common. Lifetime risk is 1%.
, Unipolar disorders
Major depressive disorder
The major depressive disorder require that a person is in a major depressive episode and
never have had a manic, hypomanic or mixed episode. It causes clinical significantly distress
or impairment in social and work life or other forms of functioning. Symptoms of sadness
and variety of symptoms more severe than mild forms of depression. High overlap with
anxiety and depressive symptoms.
Major depressive episode: Presence of five or more symptoms during the same
two-week period of DSM.
Depression as a repeated disorder
Single or recurrent episodes. Depressive episodes typically last about 6-9 months if
untreated.
o In 10-20% of MDD symptoms do not remit for over 2 years → Persistent
depressive disorder. Chronic depression is associated with severe childhood
family problems and anxious personality in childhood.
Depressive symptoms that remit can return at a future point, this return is relapse
or recurrence.
o Relapse: Return of symptoms within a short period of time e.g. when
pharmacotherapy is terminated after symptoms remit so the symptoms
return probably because depression has not yet completed its course.
o Recurrence: Onset of a new episode of depression. It happens in 40-50% of
people with depressive disorder. More previous episodes more likely of
recurrence.
Depression through life
Onset often occurs during late adolescence up to middle adulthood but it can occur
from childhood to old age.
1/3 % of school age children meet the criteria for some form unipolar depressive
disorder.
15-20% experience major depressive disorder at some point and in subclinical level
10-20%.
Very likely to reoccur in adulthood. It continues in later life. It occurs less in 65 year
olds than young adults.
