Depression & Other Mood Disorders
Mood disorders are characterized by a profound change in mood.
They cause disruption of activities of daily leaving (ADL).
You might go days without bathing or brushing your teeth.
Because of the lack of motivation, that is integral to depression, you might fail to cook or wash your clothing.
“I’m just so sad, I don’t even feel like getting out of bed.”
Three major mood disorders exist: depressive, manic, and bipolar.
Your depression could be related to mis-firing in your brain and is long term. Clinical depression might require medication along with talk therapy.
Most often, depression and deep sadness is situational. It might be related to grief or loss. It could be shattered expectations.
Major depressive disorder is characterized by overall depressed mood. Dysthymic disorder is a lesser form of major depression.
“My mind just won’t shut down.”
“I get so irritable that no one wants to be around me.”
Bipolar mood disorder is characterized by the cycling between depressed and manic moods.
Elevated moods are characterized by mania or hypomania.
In addition to type and subtype of mood, these disorders also vary in intensity and severity. For example, cyclothymic disorder is recognized as a similar, but less severe form of bipolar disorder.
When you’re experiencing these symptoms of Bipolar disorder…
…the first order of the day is to help you learn how to turn down the noise in your mind.
The second, is to train you how to regulate emotions. This begins with just becoming aware of what emotions/feelings are.
There is a strong emphasis on accepting that emotions are neither right nor wrong – they just are.
It’s simply a matter of expressing them appropriately, or inappropriately. This can be achieved by recognizing the triggers that lead to inappropriate behavior or expressions.
Learn to find joy through your mood disorder.
There are relaxation exercises and tranquil environments that can offer you some peace.
Mindfulness, which is focusing on the here and now, brings a sense of contentment, which is joy.
Joy comes from seeing the glass half full, rather than half empty…and by just learning to laugh.