Mood disorder - Definition and Overview

A mood disorder is a condition where the prevailing emotional mood is distorted or inappropriate to the circumstances.

Mood disorders can be categorized as:

• Manic depression, including
  • Depression, which includes conditions such as
    • Cyclothymia and
    • Dysthymia
  • Bipolar disorder (depression with mania or hypomania)

Please note that many of the terms above overlap. The generally accepted definitions of these terms can be found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

Most psychiatrists believe that most mood disorders are related to manic depression as part of a spectrum of mood disorders, even when the disorder does not present the classic symptoms of bipolar disorder.

There are also forms of mood disorder which are specific to women, related to physiological events such as pregnancy, giving birth or the menopause - these include Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder and Postpartum Depression.

See also

• Anxiety disorder
• Personality disorder

External links

• Bland, R.C. (1997) (http://www.cpa-apc.org/Publications/Archives/PDF/1997/May/BLAND.pdf) Epidemiology of Affective Disorders: A Review. Can J Psychiatry, 42:367–377.
• Mood disorders at the University of California's Neuropsychiatric Institute (http://www.npi.ucla.edu/uclamdrp/mood_disorders.htm)
• Female mood disorders at the University of California's Neuropsychiatric Institute (http://www.npi.ucla.edu/uclamdrp/women.htm)
• Open Directory Project: Mood Disorders (http://www.dmoz.org/Health/Mental_Health/Disorders/Mood/)
• The Mood Disorders Association of Ontario (http://www.mooddisorders.on.ca/mdao.asp)
• TrappedMinds.org (http://www.trappedminds.org)Mood Disorder Support and Resources
• Mood Disorders Support Group of New York City (http://www.mdsg.org/)