Archive for the ‘Mood Swings’ Category

Is it possible to get off mood stabilizing medications?

Robert Whitaker mental health expert and author of Mad in America had this to say…

Mood swings, also known as phase mood changes, may have natural or unnatural causes. Receiving good and bad news at the same moment certainly warrants a mood swing. But there are also times when a person experiences mood swings for no apparent reason. When this happens, you might want to consult a physician about it as such mood swings could be a symptom of a more serious problem.

Menstruation and Menopause
Some women have all the luck. They go through menstruation each month and menopause in the latter stages of their lives without ever suffering pain or discomfort. Others are not as fortunate and these women are the ones prone to suffer from mood swings.

Menstruation and menopause cause hormonal changes in our bodies and these changes could mess up the way we think and feel at the moment. Mood swings could be a result. Certainly, the pain that comes with menstruation and menopause can also cause mood swings. At the early part of the day, you could be extremely happy but once your period comes, your mood could instantly change and you become irritable and overly sensitive.

Mood swings during these stages may frequently occur but even so, they’re entirely natural and as such you shouldn’t be too worried about it. To regulate their frequency, try doing what you can to alleviate the pain caused by other symptoms of menstruation and menopause. Do that and the frequency of your mood swings will consequently go down.

Puberty
Growing up is a painful but necessary change in life. This is especially true as kids hit their teenage years. For women, the changes are more visible: their bodies develop curves that once weren’t there. They also start experiencing menstruation, which is painful in itself. Their voices change and even their skins could change, making them more acne prone among other things. Add all these up and it’s fairly easy to understand why adolescents become prone to mood swings.

ADHD
ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is certainly not something to scoff at either. True enough, it is not in any way life-threatening but if the affected individual is left to cope with his condition without professional help and support, he will find it extremely difficult to achieve certain things in life & things that may come naturally to other people who aren’t suffering from ADHD.

And because he doesn’t understand the cause of his inadequacies, he could be prone to mood swings. There is no cure for ADHD but there are ways to help affected individuals lead a normal lifestyle.

Stress
Last but not the least, problems in your life can easily lead you to suffer from mood swings. The best way to prevent mood swings in this case is to solve your problems instead of running away from it.

Whatever the cause of your mood swing, you’ll find it easier to prevent them from occurring again if you have the care and support of your loved ones.

Although studies have already successfully proven that there are two females suffering from rapid mood swings and depression for every male, this doesn’t mean that mood swings are an exclusive property of women. Unfortunately for the entire human population, gender, age, or even culture makes no difference as far as mood swings are concerned.

Children
Yes, children do suffer from rapid mood swings, too. But the most important thing to be aware of perhaps is that rapid mood swings which have taken place in your adulthood may have its roots in childhood depression or a similar condition.

Researchers believe that childhood links are important in treating and preventing rapid mood swings and depression from taking place in a personís adult years.

Elderly Persons
It’s true that depression, in which rapid mood swings are just one of its numerous symptoms, tend to be more common with older people, but evidence to support this is still somewhat lacking because of the difficulties in diagnosing it.

For one thing, adults, especially those in their advanced years, are capable of lying and denying reality. Whereas children are essentially honest and incapable of understanding the need for deception, adults are aware of the possible consequences of admitting to depression and rapid mood swings. If they think they’ll suffer from admitting to it then they could easily lie and do what they can to prevent anyone from making a correct diagnosis of their condition.

Of course, it could just as easily be the other way around and with elderly people simply not being aware that they are suffering from rapid mood swings. True, their unconscious may be aware of it but as long as they remain blind to whatís happening to them and they report nothing, it’s highly likely that their attending physician won’t even notice anything is amiss with their patient.

Comorbidity
Simply put, other existing conditions could cause rapid mood swings to occur. Suffering from an illness could cause you to experience rapid mood swings. To get rid of mood swings, you’ll need to have your illness treated first. But this works both ways, too. If you are suffering from depression and rapid mood swings, making a conscious effort not to feel depressed could also make the treatment for your existing illness more effective.

Race, Culture, and Lifestyle
Demographic and social aspects of your life may also be contributory factors. In the United States, for instance, the nationís health program offers inadequate treatments and solutions that are specifically designed for treating American citizens who belong to other races and minorities. Certainly, such treatments are available from private practices but they come at a higher price.

How you live your life and the relationships you have with other people can also increase or decrease the likelihood that you’re suffering from rapid mood swings. In general, however, you’re less likely to suffer from them if you are happy and contented and are surrounded by people who care for you.