Mood Disorders

Mood disorders include several mental health conditions that cause depression alone or mood swings between depression and mania. The only way to learn what causes your symptoms is to get a thorough psychiatric evaluation from Jeanne Nicholson, ARNP, PMHNP-BC, at Nicholson Psychiatry, PLLC, in Bellevue, Washington. After diagnosing a mood disorder, Jeanne provides personalized medication management to restore your balance and stabilize your moods. Schedule an appointment today by calling the office or connecting through online booking.

What are mood disorders?

Mood disorders include several mental health conditions. Nicholson Psychiatry, PLLC, treats them all, such as:

Major depressive disorder (MDD)

MDD causes symptoms (listed below) nearly all day, every day, for two weeks or longer (usually much longer).

Postpartum depression

Postpartum depression, also called peripartum depression, is a type of MDD that begins during pregnancy or after delivering your baby.

Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD)

DMDD is a mood disorder affecting children and teens. The symptoms include anger and irritability nearly all day, every day, together with severe temper outbursts several times every week.

Bipolar disorders

There are three bipolar disorders: bipolar I, bipolar II, and cyclothymic disorder. Bipolar I causes extreme mood swings between severe mania and MDD. Bipolar II disorder is defined by swings between MDD and hypomania, which causes milder symptoms than full-blown mania.

Cyclothymic disorder causes mild depression and hypomania. Despite having less severe symptoms, cyclothymic disorder is challenging because you have frequent mood swings lasting at least two years.

What symptoms do mood disorders cause?

The symptoms of depression, whether mild or MDD, include:

• Feeling sad, worthless, and hopeless
• Having low energy (lethargy) and fatigue (tiredness)
• Staying isolated from family and friends
• Staying away from activities you usually enjoy
• Changing your eating habits
• Sleeping more or less than usual
• Having suicidal thoughts 

People with mania and hypomania have symptoms such as:

• Feeling elated
• Talking rapidly
• Having non-stop energy
• Having an inflated sense of self-importance
• Experiencing racing thoughts
• Engaging in risky behaviors (driving under the influence, overspending, etc.)

Depression often affects your sleep, causing insomnia or making you sleep more than usual. By comparison, people with mania get very little sleep and still have excessive energy.

How are mood disorders diagnosed and treated?

To diagnose a mood disorder, Jeanne learns about your lifestyle, social environment, medical history, and mental health challenges. She asks about your symptoms, when and how often they occur, and how they impact your daily life. She may also ask you to complete cognitive testing and run lab tests.

Jeanne specializes in medication management for mood disorders. People with depression may need antidepressants, depending on their symptoms. However, bipolar disorders always require medication to stabilize mood swings. Since bipolar disorder isn’t curable, most people need to keep taking medication for the long run.

Call Nicholson Psychiatry, PLLC, today or use online booking to get compassionate care for mood disorders.