ISSUE #43 cont'd -- Glossary

Glossary Terms:

MOOD DISORDERS

I wanted to try and group some terms together so that they might have more of a context and be easier to remember then (if you do want to remember them at all).

Please be aware, I’m not an “expert” or therapist in the mental health field. These terms are from various sources, including the DSM (Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). Some of the opinions expressed are mine alone. If something looks like a serious symptom that you experience you might want to talk to your doctor about it.

Before talking about mood I thought I would give the meaning of affect which is the opposite to mood.

Affect

means the fluctuating expression of emotions that we experience such as sadness, elation, or anger.  It’s like talking about the “weather” which is on a more daily basis than the “climate” which is over a longer period of time. We need to keep in mind, however, that what is considered the normal range of expression of emotions varies from culture to culture.

People sometimes differ in their expression of emotions too, and it may or may not be a symptom of a mental illness. There may be other factors involved that don’t point to an illness but simply a situation the person is in.

Blunted affect is when the intensity of a person’s emotions are significantly less than what would be considered normal.

Flat affect is when there is no, or nearly no signs of emotion, again, thanwhat would be expected or considered normal expression in that situation and/or culture.

Labile affect is when a person shows an abnormal variation of emotions with repeated, rapid and abrupt shifts in their expression. Sometimes a person with Dissociative Identity Disorder (multiple personality) may be like this because of switching between alters or personalities.

Restricted or constricted affect is when there is a more mild range and intensity of emotion than considered to be normal. This might be the case for someone who is severely depressed.

So what then is “mood”?

Mood,
in contrast to “affect” , is when our emotions and expression don't change as often and tend to last a longer period of time. For example, if we have depression, we may feel sad for months and months at a time (mood) rather than for only one day (affect).

While I compared affect to the weather, mood is more like the longer term climate. “How are you feeling today” (affect) versus “How are you feeling these days, or lately?” (mood) (Whew!)

There are two disorders that are under the Mood Disorder category – Bipolar Disorder and Major Depression.

Bipolar Disorder

used to be called Manic-Depressive Disorder. It has two main symptoms or categories of mood – mania (or hypomania) and depression. There’s a real variation in the symptoms too. Some people might have mania most of the time and little depression, or they might have mania for years then have depression for years. Some people might have depression most of the time, with rare or infrequent episodes of mania.

Both mania, or hypomania, and depression have their own set of symptoms.

Mania, Manic

When a person is said to be manic they may
> need little sleep

> be extremely productive

> feel really good and excited

> be very talkative. You may not be able to interrupt them

> lack some good judgment – such as spend a lot of money, more than they

   could afford or invest in something that’s not a good investment, be very

   promiscuous, or take other dangerous risks

> lack even the insight that they are manic and/or ill

> become psychotic (lose touch with reality) and have delusions (think they are

   Jesus or they can save the world) and/or hallucinations (hear voices in their

   head, see things that other people don’t see)

Hypomania, hypomanic
is a milder form of mania. There is often less distress for the person yet enough to cause them a lot of discomfort and suffering. Sometimes a person can be quite “lucky”, if you will, and be mildly hypomanic most of the time. This means they have a lot of energy, are quite productive, feel pretty good a lot of the time. However, they might sometimes suffer with depression or possibly could tip into mania at times.

Depression

Is the other major symptom of Bipolar Disorder as well as a mood disorder on its own.

Someone who is depressed may

> feel sad or down a lot
> stop enjoying things they used to enjoy
> have no desire to go to work or school
> sleep less or more than normal
> eat less or more than usual
> feel a lot of anxiety
> not be able to concentrate on things such as reading, watching tv, etc
    and many other symptoms.

If you have a number of these symptoms of depression, mania or hypomania and especially if it’s causing you a lot of distress and suffering talk to your doctor or someone you trust.