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Mood Disorders
A PowerPoint presentation (no narration) containing much of this information is available
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The following are a list of disorders characterized by disturbances or exaggerations of a person's
mood. A few examples of mood disorders include a major depressive episode, manic episode,
and bipolar disorders.
Major Depressive Episode
Most everyone becomes "depressed," or sad, at some point in their lives. Such 'situational'
depression may require counseling or some other form of treatment. Clinical depression,
however, is a more serious depressive state, generally attributed to a chemical imbalance within
the brain. A Major Depressive Episode is characterized by several of the following symptoms:
extreme sadness, insomnia or hypersomnia (a difficulty in sleeping or sleeping too much), a loss
of interest in most daily activities, significant weight change, recurrent thoughts of suicide or
death, fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day, diminished ability to concentrate and extreme
impairment in daily functioning. In the diagnosis of a Major Depressive Episode, chemical
substances must be ruled out in the cause. For general information about depression, travel to the
National Mental Health Association. (O)
Travel to Youtube.com to view a three-minute clip, "What is Depression?" (R)
Manic Episode
A manic episode may be diagnosed if a person has experienced an uncontrollable, heightened
state of irritability, excitability, and/or euphoria lasting a week or longer. A person experiencing
a manic episode may exhibit an inflated self-esteem, be extra talkative, feel a decreased need for
rest/sleep, be physically agitated, extremely talkative and be easily distracted. The individual, for
example, may enthusiastically pursue a project, abandon it, and become heavily involved with
another. The manic experience impairs normal day-to-day living and, in severe circumstances,
may even include delusions and/or hallucinations. The occurrence of anyone experiencing only a
single manic episode without a concomitant episode of depression or mixed episodes of both
conditions is quite rare. A hypomanic episode lasts at least four days, is characterized by
symptoms seen in a manic episode, but are less severe and subsequently do not warrant
hospitalization.
Travel to Youtube.com to watch a video about mania, featuring an individual experiencing a
manic episode. (R)
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar Disorder, known more informally as "manic depression," involves dramatic mood
swings of depression, mania and/or hypomania. The person suffering from bipolar disorder may
endure several episodes of depression, interspersed with one or more bouts of mania. Although
the time periods of mood disturbance can be short or long, both extremes of mood are evident.
Choose one of the below video clips to learn more about bipolar disorder (R):
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Travel to YouTube.com to view a three-minute clip, What is Bipolar Disorder
Dr. Sanjay Gupta also answers the question, "What is Bipolar Disorder?" (CNN, via
YouTube)
Visit Patient Voices: Bipolar Disorder, from the New York Times to listen to one or more (up to
nine) patients describe their experiences with bipolar disorder (O).
There are two classifications of Bipolar Disorder: Bipolar I and Bipolar II.
Bipolar I
In Bipolar I the affected person experiences at least one manic or "mixed" episode, where the
mixed episode refers to evidence of both depression and mania. There may also be major
depressive episodes or hypomania experienced by the person with Bipolar I. WebMD provides
more information about Bipolar I disorder (R-read, "What is Bipolar I Disorder," "Who is at Risk
for Bipolar I Disorder," and "What are the Symptoms of Bipolar I Disorder").
Bipolar II
In Bipolar II, the affected person has a history of one or more major depressive episodes, a
history of one or more hypomanic episodes, no manic or mixed episodes, and has suffered
extreme distress from the symptoms.
As evidenced by this brief and complicated description, bipolar disorder is not experienced by all
people in the same way to the same degree. WebMD provides more information about Bipolar II
disorder (R-read, "What is Bipolar II Disorder," "Who is at Risk for Bipolar II Disorder," and
"What are the Symptoms of Bipolar II Disorder").
At psych-net-uk.com, there is information available on the different Bipolar I and Bipolar II
diagnoses (O).
Seasonal Affective Disorder
A Seasonal Affective Disorder sufferer experiences symptoms similar to depression--fatigue,
lack of energy, sleep and appetite difficulties. These depressive symptoms, however, appear to
be due to the darkness and gloominess of the winter months. In the United States, sufferers are
more commonly seen in the northern regions, where the days are shorter and the nights longer.
One of the more commonly-publicized treatments for SAD includes light therapy.
The below resources are optional reading and viewing (O):
 The National Mental Health Association has more information about seasonal affective
disorder
 Mayo Clinic has more information on light therapy
 Youtube.com contains an eight-minute clip about a Non Drug Approach for Treating
Seasonal Affective Disorder