Page 2 - psychological disorders

Mood Disorder

 Disturbance in mood or prolonged emotional state.
 Main type of mood disorders include: depressive, manic and bipolar disorders.

1. Depressive disorder:
 The most common mood disorder is depression.
 Factors that disposition towards depression could be majorly genetic, heredity.
 Age and gender are also the factors.
 Eg. Women are more susceptible during young adulthood and men during
middle age.
 Symptoms: Depicts depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in most
activities, together with symptoms which include change in body weight,
constant sleep problems, tiredness, inability to think clearly, agitation, greatly
slowed behaviour. At times even thoughts of death and suicide. Feeling of
worthlessness or excessive guilt also exists.
2. Mania:
 Maniac episodes rarely appear by themselves, they usually alternate with
depression.
 Symptoms: People suffering from mania become euphoric, extremely active,
excessively talkative and easily distractible.
3. Bipolar:
 When mania and depression alternately appear, sometimes they are
interrupted by periods of normal mood.
 This is referred as bipolar mood disorder, earlier referred as maniac –
depressive disorder.
 Symptoms: Suicide attempt is the highest.
 Several risk factors influence this behaviour- mental disorder, age, gender,
ethnicity (Japanese), recent occurrence of serious life event.
 Teenagers and those over 70 years are more at risk.
 Men contemplate suicide attempt more than women.

 How can suicides be prevented?
 Suicides can be prevented by staying alert to some of the symptoms which
include: