psychiatric disorders
Overview of Mood Disorders
Introduction
Mood disorders are emotional disturbances consisting of prolonged periods of excessive sadness, excessive elevated mood, or both. Mood disorders can occur in adults, adolescents, or children (see Depressive Disorders in Children and Adolescents and Mood disorders are categorized as Bipolar Disorders None Depressive Disorders None Overview of Anxiety Disorders are not classified as mood disorders, but they often precede them or coexist with them. Sadness and joy (elation) are part of everyday life. Sadness is a universal response to defeat, disappointment, and other discouraging situations. Joy is a universal response to success, achievement, and other encouraging situations. Grief, a form of sadness, is considered a normal emotional response to a loss. Bereavement refers specifically to the emotional response to the death of a loved one. However, in some cases the response to loss is more persistent and disabling and includes symptoms that overlap somewhat with those of Symptoms and Signs (PTSD) and A mood disorder is diagnosed when sadness or elation is Overly intense and persistent Accompanied by other mood disorder symptoms that meet criteria for a disorder Significantly impairs the person's capacity to function In such cases, intense sadness is termed depression, and intense elation is termed Mania . Depressive disorders are characterized by depression; bipolar disorders are characterized by varying combinations of depression and mania. 