Although most people think about depression, the truth is that there are several mood disorders. We wrote this article to try to differentiate them and delve into these great forgotten ones: mood disorders other than major depression, the best known of the population.
According to general data, one in five people – between 10% and 16% of the general population will suffer from a depressive or mood disorder during their lifetime.
- Will nearly 4% of these people live with this disorder throughout their lives?This phenomenon is known as dysthymia.
- We will discuss it in more detail throughout the article.
Gender differences were also identified: there are two women with a depressive disorder for each man. As population groups with high incidence of mood disorders, we can find caregivers and abused people.
Can depressive disorders occur at any time in life?there are even depressive disorders in children. Prevalence is mainly concentrated between the age of 25 and 45, although the onset of disorders occurs around 20 or 25 years in the adult population.
The duration of a depressive disorder can vary depending on the person and their environment, there are mood disorders that last for years, while others may disappear spontaneously.
The first mood disorder to develop is the episode of major depression. These, along with major depressive disorder, are the most well-known types of depression.
The secret to diagnosing mood disorders is to see if they meet the criteria for an episode of major depression and for how long.
The fundamental feature of the major depression episode is the existence of a period of at least two consecutive weeks during which the person suffers from a reduced or depressed mood, lack of interest and little pleasure in his daily activities.
It can manifest itself as feelings of sadness, irritability, anger, etc.
In turn, five or more symptoms from the following list must be met for the major depression episode to be diagnosed:
These are the diagnostic criteria for DSM-5. ICE-11 adds loss of self-esteem and the presence of two or three basic symptoms in depression: depressive mood, loss of interest and loss of energy.
By presenting two of them, the person would already be diagnosed with episodes of mild depression and by having all three, they would be diagnosed with more serious episodes.
Major depressive disorder is one of the most extensive mood disorders. This type of depression involves virtually all symptoms of the major depression episode, but its duration changes.
The duration of certain symptoms or characteristics of the disorder is very relevant in psychology, as time can make the difference between one diagnosis and another.
In this case, a major depressive disorder will be diagnosed when at least two major depressive episodes have occurred during a person’s medical history.
Between these episodes, it must have been at least two consecutive months without the person met the criteria for a major depression episode.
ICE-11 states that during these two months the person should not have depressive symptoms, if he does so he would be diagnosed with something different.
Therefore, a person with major depression is not a person who has spent 365 days a year with depressive symptoms. These are intervals between which there are times when symptoms do not exist; are not continuous.
In addition, this type of depression can have a seasonal pattern, called seasonal affective disorder, that is, there are some depressions more associated with seasonal changes, in which the autumn and winter months have a big impact on mood.
Persistent dysthymia or depressive disorder is defined as a chronic pattern of behavioral changes characterized by a decrease in mood, which is experienced continuously, every day and with a minimum duration of two years.
To diagnose dysthymia, a person must live most of their life in an unbalanced or depressive mood and not spend more than a month without showing these symptoms.
Does this mean depressive symptoms? Above? And mood reduction doesn’t occur during seasons, as with major depressive disorders.
The DSM-5 somehow combines dysthymia and major depression, saying they can be treated together. In fact, major depression can precede dysthymia.
This condition is included in mood disorders. One of the reasons for this inclusion is to avoid the potential danger of high rates of children diagnosed and poorly treated for bipolar disorder.
This mood disorder is diagnosed between the age of 6 and 18, earlier or later. Symptoms begin to appear before age 10.
Mood-disruptive disorder refers to severe and recurrent tantrums that manifest verbally or behaviorally.
Aren’t the intensity and duration of these tantrums proportional to the situation or provocation and the degree of development of the person?, act as if they are younger, with lower levels of emotional management.
The main problem posed by this controversial disorder is the establishment of a clear differential diagnosis, there are many disorders that share the same symptoms and can therefore be confused.
It includes a variety of emotional and behavioral changes that can occur in association with the menstrual cycle in some women. Symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder include:
Secondary symptoms are added, such as lethargy, decreased interest, and hypersomnia or insomnia, these symptoms appear in the vast majority of menstrual cycles and disappear within a week of menstruation, usually starting a few days after the start of the rule.
Mood disorders are heterogeneous and don’t just affect “sad” people
Although they move with similarities, the truth is that these are different conditions that can lead to completely different sufferings and, mainly, different types of treatments.
Differentiation between them is vitally important in deciding intervention and preventing its progression.
To ensure, for example, that a major depressive disorder does not become dysthymia begins with a good diagnosis that satisfies the demands of each person and the suffering he goes through.