Abstract
This paper examines what mood disorders are and what individuals with a mood disorder are likely to face. This document encompasses the different types of mood disorders and how they affect an individual in a varied manner. Most importantly, the biological basis of each has been discussed at length. Depression is the most common mood disorder, and that is why -in one way or another- all other odd disorders are likely to revolve around depression. In general, when a person has a mood disorder, they face extreme mood - either too happy, too anxious or too sad. All these are mood disorders because it is not an average fluctuation of moods. Biologically speaking, the central part of the body that is affected is the brain because it is the power center of the body. What happens is that hormones trigger certain occurrences, and communications are made possible by neurotransmitters. At the end of the day, any abnormal occurrence in the brain would cause the mood disorders.
The Biological Basis for Mood Disorders
A mood disorder is a psychological or mental disorder that either heightens or drastically lowers the state of a person’s mood (Branchi, & Schmidt, 2011). It is very normal to have variations in mood, but experiencing them for a much longer duration and at excessive levels makes them disorders. The most common symptoms of mood disorders, in general, are a feeling of sadness and hopelessness. A person loses interest on important parts of ordinary life. One also gets to experience an abnormal fluctuation between extreme sadness and extreme happiness. There are various type of mood disorder, and they include depression, Bipolar Disorder, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder and self- harm just to mention but a few of the common mood disorders.
Depression is most common mood disorder that affects people of both genders and cuts across all ages from adults to the youth and even children. Depression gives the affected extreme feelings of sadness and a loss of hope. Depression victims often experience suicidal thoughts and feel very lonely. Depression may be caused by many factors but, in the biological basis, depression’s primary cause is the brain (Branchi, & Schmidt, 2011). The brain works as the ‘control center’ of the body. The limbic system is the particular part of the brain where researchers of clinical depression have been interested in. The limbic system mainly controls emotions, stress response, sexual and physical drives. The hypothalamus is a part of the limbic system that does the actual control of sleep, appetite, sexual drive and other activities. It works by controlling the pituitary gland to trigger production of specific hormones that affect a person in depression.
Situated in the inferior part of the temporal lobe is the almond-shaped amygdala. The amygdala houses dim memories and thoughts. It connects to the septal nuclei, the hippocampus, the prefrontal area and the medial dorsal nucleus of the thalamus. The amygdala and the hypothalamus are connected. The Hypothalamus controls vivid memory. Through these essential connections, the amygdala can play its role in controlling emotional sensations like showing affection, friendship and expressing love (Brunello, 2004). During times of emotions like depression, fear, rage, and anxiety, the amygdala activates. Damage to each or both the amygdala leads to indifference to danger and reduced or entirely destroyed affective tendencies towards others. Since an activated amygdala stimulates fear and anxiety, it causes heightened levels of aggression and restlessness, hence depression.
Bipolar disorder is another mood disorder that makes its victims have different periods of feeling very low and then extremely elated (Kalat, 2013). The intensities only get worse with the development of the disorder (Manji et al., 2016). Cyclothymic disorder is another form of bipolar disorder but has mild effects on a person. Its effects are not as extreme as those of bipolar syndrome, but they share the same biological basis. Its victims are faced with shifts in energy levels too and in most cases they get an intense mania. In most cases it affects people in their late teens or early adulthood periods. It can also affect children and it is a lifetime disorder (Manji et al., 2016).This condition can result in a bad performance in school, job and relationships. Only a small percentage of people get medical help (Kalat, 2013). A good portion does not see the need to seek help because it is often stereotyped as personal weakness and, therefore, many people suffer in silence.
The biological basis of bipolar disorder is attributed to genetics, which is unquestionable. Despite this fact, there are also biochemical abnormalities that have underlined the pathophysiology and predisposition of bipolar disorder (Manji et al., 2016). When there is abnormal serotonin functionality in the brain, then bipolar disorder is likely to occur. This is because serotonin is a neurotransmitter that highly controls a person’s mood. Abnormality in serotonin would cause extreme feelings of happiness, sadness, anxiety and so forth hence bipolar disorder. It is highly unlikely that serotonin is the only culprit in this case because other neurotransmitters foster neuronal communication of a bipolar disorder patient like biogenic amines. In essence, the monoamine signal to the hypothalamic, and the pituitary-adrenal axis causes a disruption that results in the mania and depression that the patient experiences.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), is also a mood disorder that does not affect a large percentage of the population but still has its adverse effects. SAD condition is another type of depression that occurs seasonally especially during winter. It causes restlessness, inactivity, weight changes, loss of appetite, fatigue, changes in sleeping patterns and may also result in suicidal thoughts. People with SAD experience their ‘downside’ during winter when there is no much natural light; during summer and spring, they get their ‘upside’. In such cases, light therapy has been proved to help such people.
Biologically speaking, SAD mainly results due to lack of natural light. Firs off it are quite expected for the body to react under conditions it has not adapted to, the biological clock or otherwise called the circadian rhythm. When the rhythm is disrupted, this leads to depression feelings hence the SAD. Reduced natural light could also result in a drop in serotonin which is a neurotransmitter that controls moods. A decrease in serotonin leads to an increase in the state of anxiety and depression. Melatonin is another entity that controls feelings and sleep. The change in season could result in the effects faced by a SAD patient. Another group of neurotransmitters related to SAD is catecholamine and acetylcholine, which comprise of norepinephrine, dopamine, and adrenaline that trigger production of corticotropin- releasing factor (CRF). This is a neurotransmitter and a stress hormone at the same instance that causes mood changes and should there be imbalances in its production, then this would result in depression and other mood disorders.
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder is a more intense form of Pre-Menstrual Syndrome (PMS) where a woman faces depression, becomes irritable and becomes tense before they get their menses. It affects women mostly and young women too, as teenagers (Elliott, 2007). It affects women at different percentages depending on their predisposition. Hal Elliot (2007) says, “While up to 75% of women will experience physical and emotional symptoms before their menses and 12.6% to 31% will experience symptoms significant enough to describe as moderate to severe PMS, only 3% to 8% will experience symptoms severe enough to qualify for a diagnosis of PMDD.” This disorder results in anxiety, anger for no logical reason, fatigue, and change in eating and sleeping patterns.
Some women are more genetically predisposed to this condition, and they experience more frequent and severe episodes compared to other normal times. Estrogen and progesterone are the primary hormones that are in control of the menstrual cycle (Elliott, 2007). In essence, these hormones trigger certain reactions in the nervous system that result in the menstrual symptoms. Biologically, the level of hormonal imbalance between women with PMDD and those who do not, show no significant variation. The cause of PMDD seems to be more inclined towards genetic predisposition. If this disorder is well examined, there are ways of reducing its effects. Thielen (2016) says, “Review your symptoms with your doctor. A thorough medical evaluation may determine if symptoms are due to PMDD or some other condition. If you're diagnosed with PMDD, your doctor can recommend specific treatments to help minimize symptoms.”
Self-harm has a much more physical manifestation as victims commit acts of intentionally harming themselves. A victim might pull out their hair, burn part of their finger or flesh, cut themselves or even bludgeon themselves with a blunt object. Some also get excessive piercings and imprint on themselves excessive tattoos. The disorder mainly affects teenagers and young adults. Research has it that it affects females more than males. Most people having this disorder have a history of sexual, physical or emotional abuse. Some have it due to the environment they grow in and maybe because they lack skills to express themselves in a proper manner, and hence, they resort to self-harm (Lara, & Akiskal, 2006). The affected feel a sense of coping with a problem if they harm themselves, especially those that cut themselves in stressful situations.
The most affected class of people are pubescents. Puberty in itself is biological, and this is the stage where hormones surge to kick-start the adolescent changes of the teenagers. In females, the hormones responsible are estrogen and progesterone. In males, it is testosterone. The hormones are responsible for the mood and emotional fluctuations of the teenagers. At this stage, the sub-cortical structures, which are the areas where emotions, are brought into being. During puberty, the sub-cortical structures are sculptured hence creating a window of vulnerability and that is why most of the teenagers would feel the urge to induce self-harm (Lara, & Akiskal, 2006). In most cases, self- harm becomes more severe when accompanied by other social factors, but biologically speaking, the sub-cortical structures and hormones are the causative agents of this disorder.
Some mood disorders are substance induced. It can be caused by a drug that someone takes - usually substance abuse cases or the mood disorder could be as a result of withdrawal effects. Substance abuse can cause one to have extreme feelings of joy, sadness, anxiety, panic and so forth. Cocaine and alcohol, for example, usually sensitize the brain cells, the neurons to be precise and, therefore, making them very sensitive to external stimuli. This would result in quite a different interpretation of the mind to a particular situation, and that is why the mood fluctuates when a person is under substance intoxication. It is also the reason an intoxicated person can be very anxious or agitated because the brain is agitated and is responding to external stimuli wrongly.
In conclusion, depression is the most common mood disorder and in one way or another, it features in all the other disorders as discussed earlier. The brain is the ‘control center’ from which the moods of an individual are controlled. It becomes a condition when the feelings become extreme and in some cases fluctuate at an abnormal rate. It is, therefore, paramount for every person to take note of their emotions and should they notice extreme occurrences, they should seek medical attention. There is no shame in having a mood disorder because as discussed earlier the disorders have a biological basis and treatment may help too.
References
Branchi, I., & Schmidt, M. (2011). In search of the biological basis of mood disorders: Exploring out of the mainstream. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 36(3), 305-307.
Brunello, N. (2004). Mood stabilizers: protecting the moodprotecting the brain. Journal Of Affective Disorders, 79, 15-20.
Elliott, H. (2007). Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: An Update on Diagnosis and Treatment | Psychiatric Times. Psychiatrictimes.com. Retrieved 9 March 2016, from http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/articles/premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-update-d iagnosis-and-treatment
Kalat, J. W. (2013). Biological psychology. Belmont, CA [etc.: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Lara, D., & Akiskal, H. (2006). Toward an integrative model of the spectrum of mood, behavioral and personality disorders based on fear and anger traits: II. Implications for neurobiology, genetics and psychopharmacological treatment. Journal of Affective Disorders, 94(1-3), 89-103.
Manji, H., Quiroz, J., Payne, J., Singh, J., Lopes, B., Viegas, J., & Zarate, C. (2016). Bipolar disorder explained: Causes - Causes - Bipolar disorder - Black Dog Institute. Blackdoginstitute.org.au. Retrieved 9 March 2016, from http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/public/bipolardisorder/causes.cfm
Thielen, J. (2016). Premenstrual dysphoric disorder: Different from PMS? - Mayo Clinic. Mayoclinic.org. Retrieved 9 March 2016, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases- conditions/premenstrual-syndrome/expert-answers/pmdd/faq-20058315
