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Mood Disorders/ Reflection Paper
Mood Disorders
Jamie M. Floeter
Moraine Park Technical College
AODA Counseling Program
550-142 Introduction to Community Mental Health
Jerome M. VanKirk
March 5, 2013
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Mood Disorders/ Reflection Paper
Abstract
Well in general the term Mood is the way how a person is feeling at a given
time. Happy or sad is a good example of a person’s mood, though in a
clinical setting a mental health professional will use the term mood in a
different way. The term mood is used to describe a continuous emotional
state of mind that will affect how a person looks and the world and how that
person copes and deals with life. When a mental health professional looks
into these moods they will look at them as depression and or mania. These
are known as mood disorders or affective disorders. These mood disorders
get placed into two broad categories. These categories are depressive
disorders and bipolar disorders (manic depressive disorder). There are many
classifications of these mood disorders. There is major depression (unipolar
depression), mania, episodic depression, dysthymic disorder, chronic
depression and double depression. I was very shocked to read about all the
different forms and classifications of depression and find it hard to keep it all
organized.
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Mood Disorders/ Reflection Paper
Mood Disorders
When it comes to being in a bad mood, how do you know when it has
come to the point where you have a disorder? We have all had our down
points were life just feels like it’s completely against us. Given the right
amount of time we generally bounce back to our happy selves. (Time heals
all wounds) Then we can go through the process again because life is not
easy and is always throwing obstacles are way, that’s just life in general.
(Normal depression) But people can reach a point where it’s not that easy to
bounce back again or the will to bounce back fades.
Degree
Normal depression can have many of the same symptoms as
depressive disorders. They both can show the same amount of emotional
problems at work, school, or in the home. So how does normal depression
differ from depressive disorders? In many ways, normal depression differs
only in degree, not in kind, from the clinical disorder. (Flett, Vredenburg,
and Krames, 1997) When a person with a depressive disorder however, the
symptoms of depression are way more sever, happen more frequently, and
can last for much longer periods of time.
Classifications
Unipolar depression is another name for Major depressive disorder.
This is when a person may have troubles eating and sleeping, they may not
be interested in activities that once gave them enjoyment, troubles
Mood Disorders/ Reflection Paper
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concentrating, also feelings of fatigue, sadness, and hopelessness. By the
DSM-IV’s definition, a major depressive disorder episode can last up to two
weeks.
Mania tends to be the opposite of depression. This is when a person
experiences changes in their mood such as abnormally elevated irritation
and energy levels. People with mania tend to an inflated self-esteem, fights
of ideas, and they can be much more talkative. The word Mania derived from
the Greek "μανία" meaning “mad, frenzy”.
Bipolar disorder also known as manic depression is when an individual
has major swings into mania then over to depression. Bipolar disorders are
distinguished by to kinds, this is weather the depression is full manic
episodes or just hypomanic episodes. A hypomanic episode can last up to
four days and the person’s mood is clearly different than usual. The
symptoms are not drug induced, or caused by any medical treatment or
condition.
Episodic depression can last up to two years and has a clear beginning.
I tried my best to research this, but I had troubles finding information on
this one.
Dysthymic Disorder is depression that has lasted longer than two
years. A two years stretch with maybe one to two months of normal mood
and functions. Then there was talk about chronic depression, which I had
problems coming up with its own definition, just that it’s higher in degree
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Mood Disorders/ Reflection Paper
when it comes to depression. Then I read about double depression which
seems to do high degrees of depression with low levels of recovery.
Treatment
Now day’s people who suffer with depression can now get relief with
brief biological or psychological treatment. Though there is still going to be
some form of reoccurrence that will remain with all form and types of
treatments.
Biological treatment for unipolar depression when it is sever has two
ways. The first is to use drugs that can create a moderate form of relief.
Though if the drug is stopped, the relapse rate is extremely high. The second
is Electro compulsive shock therapy. Even though about 80 percent of
patients with severe depression have had positive responses to this form of
therapy, it still sounds inhumane to me. I do hope that over time that a new
science will replace this form of therapy.
One of the medications that is used for depression is, Tricyclic
antidepressants that block the reuptake of norepinephrine (NE), thus making
NE more available. When NE is more available the patient tends to feel less
depressed. Another drug that is used is Monoamine oxidase inhibitors
(MAO’s) that prevent the breakdown of NE by inhibiting the enzyme (MAO). I
feel that the MAO’s are dangerous because they are known to have lethal
side effects. A third drug that is used is a Selective Serotonin reuptake
inhibitor.
Mood Disorders/ Reflection Paper
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Another route to go in treatment is either Cognitive therapy or
Psychodynamic therapy. Cognitive therapy can help to alleviate symptoms
short term. Psychodynamic therapy focuses more on long term changes than
on short term alleviation.
I feel that it will take some training for me to become competent in
counseling those who suffer with disorders as such. I feel that some of these
symptoms will be similar to those of a long term addict. I also wouldn’t be
surprised in the least if I have a client who has miss-used some of these
anti-depressants I mentioned earlier. I do feel that it is important to receive
some training in this area when it comes to AODA counseling.
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Mood Disorders/ Reflection Paper
References
http://www.psyweb.com/mdisord/jsp/moodd.jsp
© 2013
http://depression.about.com/od/mooddisordertypes/g/unipolar.htm
Nancy Schimelpfening
Reviewed by Medical Health Board
Updated May 04, 2007
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mania
Modified on March 3rd 2013
http://suite101.com/article/am-i-bipolar-mixedmanichypomanic-episodes-a107242
The American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,
Fourth Edition, (DSM-IV)
© Lisa C. DeLuca
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/290686-overview
Author: Jerry L. Halverson, MD: Chief Editor: David Bienenfeld, MD
©1994-2013 by WebMD LLC.
Abnormal Psychology Fourth Edition
Seligman, Walker, Rosenhan
© 2001, 1995, 1989, 1984, by W. W. Norton & Company, Inc