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7.1: Why It Matters- Mood Disorders

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    221698
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    Why learn about mood disorders?

    Decorative image

    Everyone feels down or euphoric from time to time, but this is different from having a mood disorder such as major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder. Mood disorders are extended periods of depressed, euphoric, or irritable moods that in combination with other symptoms cause the person significant distress and interfere with his or her daily life, often resulting in social and occupational difficulties.

    In this module, we describe major mood disorders, including their symptom presentations, general prevalence rates, and how and why the rates of these disorders tend to vary by age, gender, and race. In addition, biological and environmental risk factors that have been implicated in the development and course of mood disorders, such as heritability and stressful life events, are reviewed. Finally, we provide an overview of treatments for mood disorders, covering treatments with demonstrated effectiveness, as well as new treatment options showing promise.

    Watch It

    Watch this video for a good overview of the types of mood disorders covered in this module.

    You can view the transcript for “Depressive and Bipolar Disorders: Crash Course Psychology #30” here (opens in new window).

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    This page titled 7.1: Why It Matters- Mood Disorders is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Lumen Learning.

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