Mood Disorders Statistics
While major depressive disorder can develop at any age, the average age at onset is the mid-20s.
The average age of onset for a first manic episode of bipolar disorder is during the early 20s.
Dysthymic disorder, which often begins in childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood, affects nearly 10.9 million American adults each year.
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) report the following:
Research indicates that depression onset is occurring earlier in life today than in past decades.
Early-onset depression often persists, recurs, and continues into adulthood. Depression in youth may also predict more severe illness in adulthood.
Mood disorders is a category of mental health problems that include all types of depression and bipolar disorder. Mood disorders are sometimes called affective disorders.
During the 1980s, mental health professionals began to recognize symptoms of mood disorders in children and adolescents, as well as adults. However, children and adolescents do not necessarily experience or exhibit the same symptoms as adults. It is more difficult to diagnose mood disorders in children, especially because children are not always able to express how they feel. Today, clinicians and researchers believe that mood disorders in children and adolescents remain one of the most under-diagnosed mental health problems. At any age, mood disorders put individuals at risk for other conditions that may persist long after the initial episodes of depression are resolved.
What causes mood disorders?
What causes mood disorders is not well known. There are chemicals in the brain, called endorphins, that are responsible for positive moods. Other chemicals in the brain, called neurotransmitters, regulate endorphins. Most likely, depression (and other mood disorders) is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Life events (such as unwanted changes in life) may also contribute to a depressed mood.
Affective disorders aggregate in families and are considered to be multifactorially inherited. Multifactorial inheritance means that "many factors" are involved. The factors are usually both genetic and environmental, where a combination of genes from both parents, in addition to unknown environmental factors, produce the trait or condition. Often one gender (either males or females) is affected more frequently than the other in multifactorial traits. There appears to be a different threshold of expression, which means that one gender is more likely to show the problem, over the other gender.
Who is affected by mood disorders?
Anyone can feel sad or depressed at times. However, mood disorders are more intense and difficult to manage than normal feelings of sadness. Children, adolescents, or adults who have a parent with a mood disorder have a greater chance of also having a mood disorder. However, life events and stress can expose or exaggerate feelings of sadness or depression, making the feelings more difficult to manage.
Sometimes, life's problems can trigger depression. Being fired from a job, getting divorced, losing a loved one, death in the family, and financial trouble, to name a few, all can be difficult and coping with the pressure may be troublesome. These life events and stress can bring on feelings of sadness or depression or make a mood disorder harder to manage.
The chance for depression in females in the general population is nearly twice as high (12 percent) as it is for males (6.6 percent). Once a person in the family has this diagnosis, the chance for their siblings or children to have the same diagnosis is increased. In addition, relatives of persons with depression are also at increased risk for bipolar disorder (manic depression).
The chance for manic depression (or bipolar disorder) in males and females in the general population is about 1 percent. Once a person in the family has this diagnosis, the chance for their siblings or children to have the same diagnosis is increased. In addition, relatives of persons with manic depression are also at increased risk for depression.
What are the different types of mood disorders?
The following are the most common types of mood disorders:
major depression
- a two-week period of a depressed or irritable mood or a noticeable decrease in interest or pleasure in usual activities, along with other signs of a mood disorder.
dysthymia (dysthymic disorder)
- a chronic, low-grade, depressed or irritable mood for at least one year.
manic depression (bipolar disorder)
- at least one episode of a depressed or irritable mood and at least one period of a manic (persistently elevated) mood.
mood disorder due to a general medical condition
- many medical illnesses (including cancer, injuries, infections, and chronic medical illnesses) can trigger symptoms of depression.
substance induced mood disorder
- symptoms of depression that are due to the effects of medication, drug abuse, exposure to toxins, or other forms of treatment.
What are the symptoms of mood disorders?
Depending upon age and the type of mood disorder present, a person may exhibit different symptoms of depression. The following are the most common symptoms of a mood disorder. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:
persistent feelings of sadness
feeling hopeless or helpless
having low self-esteem
feeling inadequate
excessive guilt
feelings of wanting to die
loss of interest in usual activities or activities once enjoyed
difficulty with relationships
sleep disturbances (i.e., insomnia, hypersomnia)
changes in appetite or weight
decreased energy
difficulty concentrating
a decrease in the ability to make decisions
suicidal thoughts or attempts
frequent physical complaints (i.e., headache, stomach ache, fatigue)
running away or threats of running away from home
hypersensitivity to failure or rejection
irritability, hostility, aggression
In mood disorders, these feelings appear more intense than what a person may normally feel from time to time. It is also of concern if these feelings continue over a period of time, or interfere with an individual's interest in family, friends, community, or work. Any person who expresses thoughts of suicide should be evaluated immediately.
The symptoms of mood disorders may resemble other conditions or psychiatric problems. Always consult your physician for a diagnosis.
How are mood disorders diagnosed?
Mood disorders are a real medical disorder. A psychiatrist or other mental health professional usually diagnoses mood disorders following a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation.
Treatment for mood disorders:
Specific treatment for mood disorders will be determined by your physician based on:
your age, overall health, and medical history
extent of the condition
type of mood disorder
your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
expectations for the course of the condition
your opinion or preference
Mood disorders can often be effectively treated. Treatment should always be based on a comprehensive evaluation. Treatment may include one, or more, of the following:
antidepressant medications (especially when combined with psychotherapy has shown to be very effective in the treatment of depression)
psychotherapy (most often cognitive-behavioral and/or interpersonal therapy that is focused on changing the individual's distorted views of themselves and the environment around them, working through difficult relationships, and identifying stressors in the environment and how to avoid them)
family therapy
Families play a vital supportive role in any treatment process.
Prevention of mood disorders:
Preventive measures to reduce the incidence of mood disorders are not known at this time. However, early detection and intervention can reduce the severity of symptoms, enhance the individual's normal growth and development, and improve the quality of life experienced by persons with mood disorders.
Please know that you can share this article with anyone you want to and to maybe some you don't Even like, because it's that good & will in turn show that you love your neighbors, please pass it along as long as the footer is left in tact, my goal is to reach 2,000,000 people with this new Conciseness. I feel is Heavenly inspired to raise money for the Mentally Ill, I am setting up a non-profit Organization called Out of Darkness & Into The Light, please know if you want to make a difference in someone's life, please donate $1 to our pay pal account Outof_darkness@yahoo.com, I can honestly say this will go to people who prove there is a need for their medication and they need it bad! Millions donated to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, I am asking you all out there to donate to MENTAL HEALTH DISODERS, as it is becoming a very hard topic to get people to donate to and the system is really under funded and we need to change that and now! We can change this you and me together. This organization will help provide medicine for those who can not afford it, so they don't have to eat dog food or, instead of getting there medicine So remember anyone reading this because of you, I Will Lay my life down, because of you I took another breath today. They don't call me The Zig Ziglar of Mental Health for nothing, please know, if you are suffering right now, that tomorrow can and will get better, I am a walking miracle and if I CAN RECOVER, SO CAN YOU! Because of you!
Leading Psychiatrists are calling Arthur a 'walking miracle'-After 15 years in mental institutions, absorbing inhumane shock treatments, abusing alcohol, he's now being called worldwide' The Zig Ziglar of Mental Illness 'Read about his amazing comeback and what #1 best-selling author Mike Litman has called The Most Inspirational Book of 2002' Out of Darkness - One Man's Journey From The Depths Of Mental Illness to Pure Joy
They are calling Arthur Buchanan's methods of recovering from mental illness REVOLUTIONARY! (MEDICAL COLLEGE OF MICHIGAN) 'Arthur Buchanan has given us a revolutionary blue print for recovery in these uncertain times, when Mental Illness at a all time high in the United States of America, yet if you follow this young mans methods, we assure you of positive results and I QUOTE 'If these methods are followed precisely, their is no way you can't see positive results with whatever illness you have' Dr. Herbert Palos Detroit, Michigan'
Listen to Arthur Buchanan on the Mike Litman Show!
http://freesuccessaudios.com/Artlive.mp3 THIS LINK WORKS, LISTEN TODAY!
With Much Love,
Arthur Buchanan
President/CEO
Out of Darkness & Into the Light
43 Oakwood Ave. Suite 1012
Huron Ohio, 44839
www.out-of-darkness.com
567-219-0994 (cell)