Each year, mood disorders affect around 9.7% of the entire American adult population.
Despite this high number, many mood disorders still suffer from a stigma that keeps people from getting help.
This stigma can keep people from admitting they have a problem, seeking treatment, and even talking about their disorder with others.
In this blog post, we will discuss what a mood disorder is, look at a few different types of mood disorders, and dive into how people can live everyday lives even after being diagnosed with one.
We will also discuss how we can further kick the mood disorder stigma from the place it is now.
What Is a Mood Disorder?
A mood disorder is classified as a mental illness that can cause a person to experience severe changes in their mood.
It can show up in any gender or age group, but diagnosis is much more difficult in kids because they can’t always communicate what they are feeling.
Mood disorders can cause a person to feel extremely happy or excited (mania) or extremely sad and down (depression).
While mood disorders don’t have one exact cause, many factors can contribute to them, such as:
- Family history
- Traumatic experiences
- Brain injuries
- Large amounts of stress
The most significant contributors to the onset of a mood disorder are life events that considerably impact change. These can be things like going through the death of someone close to you or a divorce.
Common Mood Disorders
There is an extensive range of mood disorders that a person can be diagnosed with.
An estimated 20% of Americans or more will deal with a mood disorder in their lifetime, and women are almost twice as likely as men to be affected.
The most common mood disorders are:
Major Depressive Disorder
This is when a person experiences depression for more than two weeks. Depression is characterized by feeling sad, hopeless, and having little to no energy.
Symptoms include changes in:
- Appetite
- Weight
- Sleep
- Energy levels
- Concentration
Bipolar Disorder
When a person experiences extreme changes in their mood that fluctuate between depression and mania, this is also known as Bipolar Disorder.
Mania is characterized by feeling overly happy, having a lot of energy, being impulsive, and feeling like you can do anything.
Symptoms of depression include:
- Sadness
- Hopelessness
- Anxiety
- Guilt
- Anger
- Irritability
These changes can be so severe that they interfere with a person’s ability to live everyday life.
Dysthymia
This is a more chronic form of depression that lasts for at least two years.
The symptoms are not as severe as major depression, but they can still make it hard to function daily. Like major depressive disorder, the exact causes of dysthymia are unclear, but research has shown that chemical imbalances in the brain may contribute.
Symptoms of dysthymia include:
- Low self-esteem
- Poor appetite or overeating
- Insomnia
- Feelings of being “empty”
- Less energy
- A feeling of being sad without reason
These mood disorders can be very debilitating, but people can live full and happy lives with the proper treatment.
The Stigma Around Mood Disorders
For a long time, mental illness has been taboo, especially anything to do with mood disorders.
People were (and still are) afraid to talk about their mental health for fear of being judged or labeled. While it’s gradually become more acceptable to openly talk about mental health, there’s still a lot of work to be done in regards to destigmatizing mood disorders.
This is especially true for mood disorders because they are often seen as something that a person can just “snap out” of. People often say, “It will just pass,” or “Maybe you need more sleep.”
This couldn’t be further from the truth. Mood disorders are real and serious illnesses that should be treated with the same care and respect as any other type of illness.
The stigma around mood disorders keeps people from getting the help they need. We must work to address this stigma so that more people feel comfortable seeking treatment.
How To Address the Stigma
There are a few things that we can do to help address the stigma around mood disorders:
Talk About It
The more we talk about mental health, the less taboo it will be. This starts with breaking the silence and talking about our own experiences. We can also have open and honest conversations about mental health with our family and friends.
Educate Yourself
Take the time to learn more about mood disorders. This will help you better understand what people are going through. There is a lot of misinformation, so it’s essential to get your information from reliable sources.
Be an Ally
If you know someone dealing with a mood disorder, be an ally. This means being supportive, understanding, and non-judgmental. Check in with them, see how they’re doing, and offer help if they need it.
How Restoring Wellness Solutions Is Helping Kick the Stigma
While mental health is gradually becoming less taboo, there’s still a lot of work to be done to destigmatize mood disorders. At Restoring Wellness Solutions, we are committed to helping people live their best lives.
Our team of experts works with each person to develop a treatment plan to help them manage their symptoms and improve their overall well-being.
These treatments often include ketamine infusions. Ketamine is an effective treatment for depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders.
Ketamine’s full potential is still being studied, but scientists are increasingly surprised by its effect on mental health issues like depression. This helps improve a person’s mood and relieves them from their symptoms.
We are constantly working to destigmatize mental health and break the silence around these illnesses. If you or someone you know is struggling, don’t hesitate to book your free consultation with us at Restoring Wellness Solutions.
Mood disorders can be life-altering conditions, and we want to help people get the treatment they need without judgment.
