Mood disorder

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

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.

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, birth or the menopause.

See also:

• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

External links:

• http://www.npi.ucla.edu/uclamdrp/mood_disorders.htm
• http://www.npi.ucla.edu/uclamdrp/women.htm
• http://directory.google.com/Top/Health/Mental_Health/Disorders/Mood/