Mood Disorders

Researchers identify networks of neurons in the brain that are disrupted in psychiatric disease

Studying the networks of connections in the brains of people affected by schizophrenia, bipolar disease or depression has allowed Dr. Peter Williamson, from Western University, to gain a better understanding of the biological ...

Neuroscience created 1 hour ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Genetic predictors of postpartum depression uncovered

Johns Hopkins researchers say they have discovered specific chemical alterations in two genes that, when present during pregnancy, reliably predict whether a woman will develop postpartum depression.

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 21, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Rethinking treatment goals improves results for 'untreatable' anorexics

(Medical Xpress)—Patients with the most severe and dangerous form of chronic anorexia are more likely to make a significant improvement towards recovery and stay in therapy if traditional psychological treatments are re-focused ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 20, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Study reviews readmissions in inpatient psychiatric facilities

(HealthDay)—Most Medicare beneficiaries treated in inpatient psychiatric facilities (IPFs) exhibit characteristics associated with hospital readmission, according to a report prepared for the National Association ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 17, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

NC coal plant emissions might play role in state suicide numbers

New research from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center finds that suicide, while strongly associated with psychiatric conditions, also correlates with environmental pollution.

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 13, 2013 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 1

Rethinking treatment goals improves results for those with persistent anorexia

A new, multinational randomized clinical trial has found that patients with severe and enduring anorexia nervosa will not only stick with treatments but also make significant improvements with just a slight modification of ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 08, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Online bipolar disorder screening tool shown to improve lives

(Medical Xpress)—Affecting 6% of Australians, bipolar disorder is characterised by distinctive fluctuations in mood and energy.

Psychology & Psychiatry created Apr 19, 2013 | popularity 1 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Traumatic brain injury worsens outcomes for those with nonepileptic seizures

A new study by a Rhode Island Hospital researcher has found that traumatic brain injury (TBI) can significantly increase the odds of having major depression, personality impulsivity and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) ...

Neuroscience created Apr 08, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Mental illness a frequent cell mate for those behind bars

(HealthDay)—Eugene King ran away from home at the age of 16, the start of a lifelong pattern of drug abuse, crime and incarceration.

Psychology & Psychiatry created Apr 05, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Meditation technique enhances children's mental health

(Medical Xpress)—Teachers in schools across the globe are turning to a new philosophy to help improve the behaviour and well-being of students.

Psychology & Psychiatry created Mar 27, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Human emotion: We report our feelings in 3-D

Like it or not and despite the surrounding debate of its merits, 3-D is the technology du jour for movie-making in Hollywood. It now turns out that even our brains use 3 dimensions to communicate emotions.

Psychology & Psychiatry created Mar 26, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Single concussion may cause lasting brain damage

A single concussion may cause lasting structural damage to the brain, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Mar 12, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

People with mental illness at highly increased risk of being murder victims

The perpetration of homicide by people with mental disorders has received much attention, but their risk of being victims of homicide has rarely been examined. Yet such information may help develop more effective strategies ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Mar 05, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Life experiences put their stamp on the next generation: New insights from epigenetics

The 18th century natural philosopher Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed that the necks of giraffes lengthened as a consequence of the cumulative effort, across generations, to reach leaves just out of their grasp. This view of ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Feb 14, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Fear factor: Study shows brain's response to scary stimuli

(Medical Xpress)—Driving through his hometown, a war veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder may see roadside debris and feel afraid, believing it to be a bomb. He's ignoring his safe, familiar surroundings and only ...

Neuroscience created Feb 08, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast


Mood disorder is the term designating a group of diagnoses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV TR) classification system where a disturbance in the person's mood is hypothesized to be the main underlying feature. The classification is known as mood (affective) disorders in ICD 10.

English psychiatrist Henry Maudsley proposed an overarching category of affective disorder. The term was then replaced by mood disorder, as the latter term refers to the underlying or longitudinal emotional state, whereas the former refers to the external expression observed by others.

Two groups of mood disorders are broadly recognized; the division is based on whether the person has ever had a manic or hypomanic episode. Thus, there are depressive disorders, of which the best-known and most researched is major depressive disorder (MDD) commonly called clinical depression or major depression, and bipolar disorder (BD), formerly known as manic depression and characterized by intermittent episodes of mania or hypomania, usually interlaced with depressive episodes.

This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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