**Mood Disorders Study Guide

Mood Disorders

Definition of Mood

  • Mood: Predominant feeling state of the individual.

Overview of Mood Disorders

  • Mood disorders are characterized by severe deviations in mood.

Major Types of Mood Disorders

  1. Unipolar Mood Disorder:

    • Mood remains at one end of the depression-mania continuum.

  2. Bipolar Mood Disorder:

    • Mood travels between the depression and mania poles.

Depressive Disorder (Major Depressive Disorder - MDD)

Depressive Disorder with Specifiers (DMDD)

  • Specifiers: Symptoms that may or may not accompany a depressive disorder.

    1. With Anxious Distress:

    • Comorbid with anxiety, associated with increased severity of the condition and likelihood of suicidal thoughts.

    1. With Mixed Features:

    • Major Depressive Episode (MDE) plus at least 3 additional manic or hypomanic symptoms.

    1. With Melancholic Features:

    • Severe loss of pleasure and somatic symptoms.

    1. With Atypical Features:

    • Symptoms that are less typical such as overeating, oversleeping, psychomotor retardation (labeled as "leaden paralysis"), and rejection sensitivity.

    1. With Psychotic Features:

    • Can be mood congruent or mood incongruent.

    1. With Peripartum Onset:

    • Occurs before or after giving birth; this condition is not the same as "baby blues."

    1. With Catatonia:

    • Psychomotor disturbance that can range from unresponsiveness to agitation.

    1. With Seasonal Pattern:

    • Also referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).