Introduction to Mood Swings

Everyone experiences an occasional bad mood. Different stages in life and hormonal changes can cause mood swings during puberty and menopause. However, some people experience frequent changes in moods that are so dramatic and sudden that they can start to interfere with daily life and relationships.

Description

• When someone has frequent and extreme mood swings, they might have a mood disorder. The person might feel confused and not understand why her emotions seem so uncontrollable. Mood swings might cause the person to overreact to seemingly harmless situations and can cause strains on friendships and marriages. The symptoms of mood disorders might seem similar to those of bipolar and manic depressive disorder. However, mood swings are not as extreme or a long lasting.

Statistics

• Mood disorders are more common than you might think. Around 10 million Americans struggle with a mood disorder every year, and almost two-thirds of them are women. This is because women experience more hormonal fluctuation in their lifetime because of pregnancies, menstruation and menopause. Mood disorders are often misunderstood and are sometimes mistaken for bipolar and manic depressive disorder. Sixty percent of people with mood disorders go undiagnosed because they don't seek treatment. Of the people who seek treatment, there is a nearly 90 percent positive success rate.

Causes

• One possibility is that mood swings might be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Several different types of neurotransmitters control the way messages are communicated in the brain, including different emotions. People with a mood disorder might have an imbalance of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. Because of the frequency with which women experience mood swings during pregnancy, menstruation and menopause, many people believe mood disorders can be caused by hormone imbalances.

Therapy

• If you are concerned because you have frequent mood swings, the best thing to do is to talk to your doctor. She will be able to evaluate you and make sure that you are in good physical health. She can refer you to a reliable psychiatrist who can help you get treatment. Most of the time, treatment involves psychotherapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy, which will help you recognize the patterns that lead to your mood swings. You can learn how to better cope with these feelings and keep them from happening.

Medication

• If mood swings are severe enough, you doctor might recommend you try an antidepressant. This might be enough to take the edge off of your emotions so that you can concentrate on controlling your moods with the counseling. Sometimes a hormonal treatment, such as an oral contraceptive, can regulate your hormone levels and keep your mood swings under control.