Mood Disorders
...by some writers: Ostow, 1980) and across cultures (Al-
Issa, 1982; Carson, et al., 1988). Many famous people apparently
suffered from these disorders. Eg: Lincoln and Freud suffered from
depression. They are among the most prevalent of psychological
disorders (Reus, 1988).
The Mood Disorders are characterized by prolonged and persistent
positive and/or negative emotions, which are of such intensity that they
can color and interfere with all aspects of one's life. The key
ingredient here is mood. Although thoughts may also be disturbed,
thought disorder (ie: impairment of intellectual functioning - reflected
by incoherence, unconnected, chaotic thoughts, bizarre speech and the
like) is not a defining feature (Thought disorder is central to
Schizophrenia, which we will be discussing in later lectures).
The emotions experienced in these disorders are typically thought
to exist along a continuum with normal emotions (Beck, 1967; Reus,
1988). For example, we've all experienced sadness at some point in our
lives. But such experiences do not warrant a diagnosis. As we shall
see, clinical depression is very different from sadness.
The emotions (or moods) we will be focusing on are excessively
elevated moods and excessively depressed moods, or in other words, Mania
and Depression.
A. Manic States: elevated, expansive, grandiose, or irritable
mood.
A person in a manic state feels euphoric and high, eager to be
involved with others and with life in general. This expansive and
elevated mood may have an infectious quality for the uninvolved
observer, but for those who know the person well, the mood is
recognized as excessive.
Other characteristics:
inflated self-esteem
decreased need for sleep (eg: only 3 hours a night, or
stays awake for 3 or 4 days...
View Full Essay
