MODULE 5 Mood disorders treatment

Mood Disorders: Treatments and Outcomes

Many individuals with mood disorders, especially unipolar disorders, do not seek treatment.
Despite this, most will recover within a year, often temporarily.
Increased personal suffering and various available treatments lead to more individuals seeking help.
Notable increase in depression treatment from 1987-1997; slight decline in psychotherapy use from 1998-2007, despite stable antidepressant use.
Around 40% of individuals with mood disorders receive minimally adequate treatment.

Types of Medications:
- Antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and antipsychotics are used for unipolar and bipolar disorders.
- Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs): Developed in the 1950s; effective but with serious dietary restrictions and side effects.
- Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs): Predominant in treatment until the early 1990s; 50% show significant improvement but have many side effects.
- Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs): Fewer side effects; widely prescribed for depression but questioned for mild cases.

Newer treatments (e.g., bupropion, venlafaxine) show fewer side effects and are noted for effectiveness in specific depression types.
Treatment Duration: Antidepressants require weeks to take effect; switching drugs is advised if no improvement in six weeks.

Lithium is extensively used for bipolar disorder, effective for preventing episodes but may have significant side effects.
Anticonvulsants provide alternatives for patients intolerant to lithium but may carry higher suicide risks.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT): Rapidly effective for severe depression, used with precautions.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS): Non-invasive; promising for resistant depression.
Deep Brain Stimulation: Explored for treatment-resistant depression, with ongoing research.

Various specialized psychotherapies exist with comparable efficacy to medications in treating depression.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Evidence shows it may prevent relapse better than medication alone.
Behavioral Activation Treatment: Focuses on engagement and activity; evidence suggests effectiveness comparable to traditional therapies.
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT): Effective for depression and can help manage bipolar disorder relapses.

Without treatment, many recover from mood disorders within a year, but the majority do not receive adequate care.
Although relapses occur, maintenance therapies can help reduce frequencies of episodes.
Ongoing research is necessary to improve treatments and understand risk factors for mood disorders.