What is a Mood Disorder:

Classified as a mental illness that depicts how you feel, or your "mood". According to the NIMH Major Depression is the leading cause of disability for persons 18-44. Think about that. That is more than any physical disability. More on depression statistics here. People with Major Depression feel down in the dumps, hopeless, sad, etc, for most of their days and it lasts for weeks. For the DSM-IV criteria please click here. Another very common mood disorder is Bipolar Disorder. Similar to Depressive Disorders, Bipolar can take a few forms. Bipolar I, the most severe, is set apart from the others by psychosis. In additionally, mania is usually present-so Bipolar I is all about the extreme "poles" of the mood spectrum. The individual will experience the highs of mania which include psychosis, and then will experience the extreme depth of a Major Depressive episode. Bipolar II is a less severe form of these swings. Hypomania is used to describe what the Bipolar II is like. There are still similar symptoms as in mania-decreased need for sleep, hypersexuality, increased goal-directed behaviors, rapid speech, only they don't experience the extreme highs or psychosis. Hypomanics typically can function quite effectively for a while. Many very talented, genius individuals are hypomanic.

U.S. News & World Report Depression Center

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Last Update: August 4, 2010