Medical Treatments For Mood Disorders

Mood disorder has been getting their share of sufferers. Almost 44 million Americans fall victim to a certain type of mental disorder every year. Aside from complex imbalances in the brain's chemistry, you can also credit the increased incidence of mood swings to certain environmental factors that can trigger the onset of such disorders.

There are a number of medical treatments available for the different mood disorders. The good news to this is that people who suffer from such conditions, even the most serious ones, can live a productive life with the right treatment. The two most common types of mood disorders, depression and bi-polar disorder have their own respective treatments available because of their difference in affecting the lives of sufferers.

Bi-polar disorder sufferers are identified by their extreme mood swings interrupted by generally normal behavior. This type of mood disorder tends to run in families and may begin in the mid-twenties and can usually continue throughout life.

Bi-polar disorder sufferers may experience irritable mood swings, inflated self-esteem, increased energy, and decreased need for sleep. The disorder will also lead them to experience feelings of invulnerability, poor judgment, heightened sex drive and denial that anything is wrong. And at any time, it will suddenly lead to feelings of hopelessness, guilt, worthlessness, fatigue, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, thoughts of death or suicide, and suicide attempts. Mania and depression may vary in both duration and degree of intensity.

Eighty to ninety percent of people who have bipolar disorder can be treated effectively by an effective mix of medication and psychotherapy. Emotional support and assistance is important in identifying signs of relapse to avert a full-blown episode of bipolar disorder. Commonly prescribed mood stabilizers such as lithium carbonate, carbamazepine, and valproate are being used to treat bipolar disorder.

Everyone can feel sad at one time or another. But when a person's feelings of sadness continue for long periods beyond a few weeks, he or she may already be suffering from depression. Although researchers don't yet exactly know what triggers depression, it is widely believed that two neurotransmitters- serotonin and norepinephrine are somehow involved.

Symptoms associated with depression are changes in appetite and sleeping patterns, feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and inappropriate guilt. Depressed people also feel a loss of interest or pleasure in doing favorite activities, intense fatigue, and inability to concentrate. Serious depression will then lead to overwhelming sadness, disturbed thinking and the presence of physical symptoms such as headaches or stomachaches as well as suicidal thoughts or behaviors.

There are three major types of medication are used to treat depression. They are grouped according to how they treat the disorder- tricyclics, the newer selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors or SSRI's, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors MAO inhibitors. There is also a type of therapy that makes use of small amounts of electricity applied to the scalp to affect neurotransmitters in the brain.

Known as Electroconvulsive Therapy or ECT, this highly controversial and potentially life-saving technique is considered only when other therapies have failed to treat depression or when a person is seriously medically ill or unable to take medication. ECT is also being used when a person is very likely to commit suicide. Substantial improvements in the equipment, dosing guidelines and anesthesia have lead to the reduction of the possibility of side effects.

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