It is completely normal to have a bad day from time to time. However, if you or a person that you love seems more worried, more agitated or sadder, that can be a sign that there is a serious condition that appeared. There are many mood related symptoms that will appear and will disappear as a reponse to daily stress. In the event that these happen for a long period of time, will cause a significant distress or will interfere with your day-to-day functioning, you may want to get professional help.
Symptoms And Causes Of Mood Changes
Various brain structures, chemical neurotransmitter systems and brain networks will regulate stress and mood. Mood changes can so easily appear when those systems are damaged. As a very simple example, in the event that there is a disease that affects brain blood vessels, white matter can be altered. That would instantly disrupt the connections in the brain, those that are really important for normal behavior and mood.
Mood changes can also be a sign of psychiatric disorders. Depression, as an example, can lead to irritability, sadness, interest loss, pleasure loss or anxiety. You can be faced with medical conditions that create mood changes, like neurological conditions or thyroid diseases.
Sleep disorders also often cause mood changes. If you do not sleep enough or if sleep is not restful, irritability and/or anxiety inevitably appear. Mood symptoms can be caused by medication side effects, with steroid medication being a really common example.
Advice You Have To Consider
In the event that you are faced with mood changes and they do last for more than one month or in the event that you will notice that a loved one suffers from this, it is time to talk to a specialist. The sooner, the better! Medical evaluation will follow, with tests that include physical exams, brain image tests and even analyzing medical history. In the event that dementia is currently suspected, neuropsychologists will conduct extra tests.
Mood symptoms treatment can and shoot address root cause instead of just trying to fix the mood swing. As an example, when faced with depressive disorders, doctors can prescribe antidepressants and psychotherapy. When you are faced with sleeping problems, a better sleep hygiene program may appear. When medication triggers the mood change, switching drugs may solve the problem.
The bottom line is that you should never ignore mood changes if they happen often or for longer periods of times. They can be a sign of something really serious. Always talk with a doctor as soon as possible.