PSY 4570 Assignment Quality of Life and Mood Disorders
PSY 4570 Assignment Quality of Life and Mood Disorders
A mood disorder is a mental health class that health professionals use to broadly describe all types of depression and bipolar disorders.
Children, teens, and adults can have mood disorders. However, children and teens don’t always have the same symptoms as adults. It’s harder to diagnose mood disorders in children because they aren’t always able to express how they feel.
Therapy, antidepressants, and support and self-care can help treat mood disorders.
What are the different types of mood disorders?
These are the most common types of mood disorders:
- Major depression. Having less interest in usual activities, feeling sad or hopeless, and other symptoms for at least 2 weeks may indicate depression.
- Dysthymia. This is a chronic, low-grade, depressed, or irritable mood that lasts for at least 2 years.
- Bipolar disorder. This is a condition in which a person has periods of depression alternating with periods of mania or elevated mood.
- Mood disorder related to another health condition. Many medical illnesses (including cancer, injuries, infections, and chronic illnesses) can trigger symptoms of depression.
- Substance-induced mood disorder. Symptoms of depression that are due to the effects of medicine, drug abuse, alcoholism, exposure to toxins, or other forms of treatment.
What causes mood disorders?
Many factors contribute to mood disorders. They are likely caused by an imbalance of brain chemicals. Life events (such as stressful life changes) may also contribute to a depressed mood. Mood disorders also tend to run in families.
Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between different quality of life sub-indexes and various mood disorders. To our knowledge, this is the first study of the relationship between quality of life and clinical conditions within the whole realm of mood disorders, past and present. Methods: More than 2000 persons between 18 and 65 years old from the community were studied. DSM-III-R diagnoses were assessed by the structured interview Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Quality of life included seven aspects: Subjective well-being, Self-realization; Contact with friends, Support if ill, Absence of negative life events, Contact with family of origin; Neighbour hood quality, and a composite score; Global quality of life. Results: Reduced quality of life was observed among persons with all kinds of mood disorders the previous year.
That was also the case for previous mood disorders, especially bipolar and dysthymic disorder. Those with present psychotic major depression and past bipolar disorder had the most reduced quality of life. Among the sub-indexes, subjective well-being was most affected by mood disorders, followed by negative life events and lack of social support. The relationships did not disappear when controlled for socio-demographic factors and somatic health. Limitations: We do not know whether our results can be fully generalized to severe patient populations. Conclusion: Mood disorders, current as well as in remission, are related to a number of aspects of reduced quality of life.