Mood Disorders / Emotional Disorder
Mood disorders or emotional disorders are a group of disorders characterized by a disruption in one’s emotions or mood. Emotion can greatly affect all aspects of a person’s behavior, as well as, the perception they have for the world. The classification of Mood Disorders has been the subject of much debate, with the two most common categories being bipolar disorder and depressive disorder.
Depressive Disorders
Depression seems to be omnipresent as it includes a variety of symptoms and an attempt has been made to group them.
- Emotion: depressed mood, anxiety, loss of pleasure.
- Autonomic Nervous System: Insomnia or hypersomnia, weight loss/gain, decreased libido, fatigue/ exhaustion, psychomotor deceleration or agitation
- Motivation: loss of interest, importance/lack of hope, suicidal thoughts or attempts.
- Thoughts-Perception: Feelings of guilt and / or worthlessness, low self-esteem, difficulty concentrating, delusional ideas.
- Physical discomfort
The range of therapeutic approaches to treat depression is wide. Our clinicians examine the symptoms, their intensity, duration and frequency, in order to determine the appropriate combination of medical and psychological treatment. Their priority is to reduce the harmful symptoms, as well as, to reduce relapses. The personalized treatment program offered to our patients during their stay in the clinic aims, to improve their everyday physical functions – such as sleep, appetite, libido – and to improve their interpersonal function, with the help of psychotherapeutic methods. If found necessary, hospitalization can reduce the risk of the disease and limit relapses.
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a condition that affects your moods, which can swing from one extreme to another. Patients go through phases or cycles of intense mania that alternate with cycles or phases of intense depression. Depressive symptoms are similar to those of depressed patients. The exacerbation phase includes a wide range of emotional moods, from the normal states of euphoria and joy to the pathological states of hypomania and mania with the following main symptoms:
- Emotional mood disorder (euphoria, irritability) and emotional instability
- Inflated self-esteem
- Reduced need for sleep
- Speech pressure, abrupt changes from one subject to another, distraction
- Hyperactivity and increased activity (excessive involvement in social, work, sexual functions)
- Involvement in actions with painful consequences
- Delusional ideas and illusions in the phase of mania
Bipolar disorder, depending on its severity, can be an emergency psychiatric condition that requires immediate medical attention. The self-destructive behavior of the patient, their tendency for violent acts, as well as, the inability to take care of themselves are assessed by the psychiatrists of our clinic in order to decide the treatment regimen that is appropriate in each case. Treatment may require hospitalization of the patient, medication and setting of boundaries in order to treat the symptoms of the manic and depressive behaviors. The close and supportive patient-doctor relationship we provide tries to ensure treatment in a timely manner and minimizes the chances of relapsing.
Source: Nikos Manos (1988), Vasika Stoicheia Klinikis Psychiatrikis, University Studio Press