Mood disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder, affect people emotionally. If you have depression, you may constantly feel sad. You also may be anxious. If you have bipolar disorder, you'll likely have extreme mood swings. Your feelings may range from being very sad, empty or cranky to being very happy — going back and forth between each mood. Mood disorders are more common in women.
Having a mood disorder may raise your risk of suicide. This risk is higher if the mood disorder is serious and you also have problems with alcohol or drugs.
If you're thinking about suicide, contact a hotline for help. In the U.S., call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It's available 24 hours a day, every day. Or use the Lifeline Chat. Services are free and private. The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the U.S. has a Spanish-language phone line at 1-888-628-9454 (toll-free).
Mood disorders are divided into two major groups: depressive disorders and bipolar disorders. Each group includes several different types.
Depressive disorders cause loss of pleasure in most or all activities and ultimately affect your quality of life. You could have less energy, trouble sleeping, trouble concentrating, changes in appetite and lack interest. You also could have feelings of worthlessness or guilt and be in pain and tired.
Types of depressive disorders include:
Bipolar disorders feature mood swings that include emotional highs called manic or hypomanic episodes, and lows, called depressive episodes. These highs and lows are usually continuous. But they also can change from high to low or low to high — or shift into a normal mood. Sometimes both the highs and lows might occur together. This is called a mixed episode. You could be easily distracted and have racing thoughts. Your sleep also could be affected.
Types include:
Symptoms depend on the type of mood disorder.
Depressive disorders are common and often long-lasting. They can:
Bipolar disorders may feature:
You also could be easily distracted and more likely to think about suicide or plan for suicide, depending on the seriousness of symptoms.
Other types of mood disorders may include other symptoms.
If you're concerned that you may have a mood disorder, see your doctor or a mental health professional as soon as you can. If you're not sure you want to seek treatment, talk to a friend or loved one, a faith leader, or someone else you trust.
Talk to a health care professional if you:
Your mood disorder is not likely to go away on its own. And it may get worse over time. Get professional help before your mood disorder becomes serious. It may be easier to treat early on.
Mood disorders are caused by traits passed down to you, as well as environmental factors and life events. Environmental factors can include, for example, childhood experiences and stressful life events. Some prescription drugs, such as corticosteroids and medicines for Parkinson's disease, and street drugs also can cause mood disorders.
Risk factors include life experiences and stressful life events that increase the risk of certain types of mood disorders.
Mood disorders may occur along with neurological disorders. These are conditions that affect the brain and the nervous system. For example, depression is common among people with multiple sclerosis, dementia, traumatic brain injury, stroke and epilepsy. Depression also often occurs in people who have movements disorders like Parkinson's disease and those who have other long-term health conditions.
To find out whether you have a mood disorder, such as depression or bipolar disorder, your doctor or other primary care professional may do a physical exam. This exam will look for other signs of illness. Your doctor will review your symptoms, medical and family histories, and history of alcohol or drug use.
Your doctor will want to know about your past episodes of a mood disorder. Questions may include:
Your doctor also will ask about other current or past mental health issues. If needed, you may be referred to a mental health professional.
For most people, mood disorders can be treated with talk therapy, medicines, or both. Talk therapy also is known as psychotherapy. It's a general term for treating a mood disorder by talking about your condition and related issues with a mental health professional.
Medicines can be used to treat depression and bipolar disorder. What drug works best for you will depend on how well it controls your symptoms, how well you tolerate it and your preferences. Medicines should be used along with talk therapy to improve results.
Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), family-focused therapy or other types of therapy can be an important part of treatment for managing symptoms or stopping them from coming back.
For some people with depression, other procedures, sometimes called brain stimulation therapies, may be suggested. These include transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). These are typically considered secondary treatments, and they are used when other treatments do not work.
