Jane Doe
The following two peer-reviewed articles present studies that have been done by scholars, which reinforces the challenges of diagnosing mood disorders. Often times, mood is so intricately connected to the various mental illnesses that determining whether one is struggling as a result of mental disorder or mood disorder becomes a point of contention for the medical professions specializing in this area of treatment. Mood is an aspect of daily life that can often make diagnosis of mood disorders incredibly tricky.
The first article titled, “Mood self-assessment in bipolar disorder: a comparison between patients in mania, depression, and euthymia” examines the misrepresentation of mood experience accuracy based on the type of Bipolar Disorder or lack of disorder one has. Authors of the article, da Silva, de Assis, Mograbi, Silveira, Nunes, Novis, Cavaco, & Cheniaux, null hypothesis that patients experiencing mania are more likely to report similar moods as those in euthymia compared to the depressed patients. The purpose of the study was to measure the variation in self-assessed mood reporting by patients diagnosed with Bipolar disorder. The experiment incorporated 165 participants who all had either Bipolar I or II; the tests used on participants included the “Clinical Global Impressions Scale for use in bipolar illness (CGI- -BP), the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF); additionally participants completed a self-report visual analog mood scale (VAMS)” which was given to 3 groups divided by mania, depression or euthymia.
As predicted the group with mania more closely reported moods closer to the euthymia group, whereas the depressed group was more likely to report moods similar to that of the observer. The study further justifies the challenges that can be found in diagnosis of mood disorders due to the close connection of how mood influences those with mental illness.
The next article titled, “Detection of depression in older adults by family and friends: Distinguishing mood disorder signals from the noise of personality and everyday life,” examines the relationship of diagnosing mood disorder in participant 60+ years of age. The premise of the study was to differentiate mood disorder from the daily challenges of life based on what the individual shares with his or her family and friends. Researchers, Duberstein, Ma, Chapman, Conwell, McGriff, Coyne & Lyness hypothesize that personality trait is a big indicator of the accuracy or lack of accuracy in the self-reporting of mood disorders. Participant from ten different primary care locations in the Rochester, New York region, who had been seen for mental disorders were the subjects of the study with friends and family members who were also questioned for the study. Based on what the friends and family members of the participants stated regarding the mood versus personality traits of the individuals, researchers hoped to find a connection to prove their hypothesis.
Once again, confusion among health care professionals in distinguishing mood disorders is prevalent in the discussion of this particular study as well. What the study found was that extroverts were more likely to mislabel their symptoms as mood disorder rather than personality traits and life challenges than the introverts. Generally the introvert is easier to assume as depressed, which can then be reported and diagnosed; whereas, the extrovert knows how to hide his or her emotional state from friends and family, which can result in a misdiagnosis or no diagnosis whatsoever. This can become a concerning problem for those that are misdiagnosed of not diagnosed due to the ongoing distress that the patient experiences as a result of the inaccurate information.
Both studies explored from the two scholarly articles indicate challenges when it comes to the proper diagnosis of mood disorders due to the complex nature of mood in one’s everyday life experience, along with the dynamics of personalities and unique traits among the diversity of individuals who experience mood disorders.
References
da Silva, R.,de Assis, Mograbi, D. C., Silveira, L. A. S., Nunes, A. L. S., Novis, F. D., Cavaco,
P. A. & Cheniaux, E. (2013). Mood self-assessment in bipolar disorder: A comparison between patients in mania, depression, and euthymia. Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, 35(2), 141-145. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S2237-60892013000200008
Duberstein, P. R., Ma, Y., Chapman, B. P., Conwell, Y., McGriff, J., Coyne, J. C.,Lyness, J.
M. (2011). Detection of depression in older adults by family and friends: Distinguishing mood disorder signals from the noise of personality and everyday life. International Psychogeriatrics, 23(4), 634-43. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1041610210001808
