Emotional Responses
These are normal human responses such as sadness, joy, anger, fear, and grief.
Emotions
This theory focuses on neurotransmitters, genetics, hormones, sleep rhythms, and brain chemistry.
Biological theory
This is a period of significant depressive symptoms lasting long enough to cause distress or impairment.
Depressive episode
This mood disorder pattern commonly occurs in fall or winter with low energy, oversleeping, and carbohydrate cravings.
Seasonal affective disorder
SSRIs, SNRIs, tricyclics, MAOIs, and atypical agents belong to this drug group.
Antidepressants
This occurs when emotional responses become persistent, extreme, or disruptive to daily functioning.
Mood disorder
This theory focuses on negative thought patterns such as “I am worthless” or “Nothing will get better.”
Cognitive theory
This is a diagnosed pattern of depressive symptoms or episodes over time.
Depressive disorder
This treatment uses timed exposure to bright light and may help some clients with seasonal depression.
Light therapy
Lithium, valproate, carbamazepine, and lamotrigine belong to this mood disorder treatment group.
Mood stabilizers
This type of emotional response is appropriate to the situation, temporary, manageable, and not severely impairing.
Healthy emotional response
This theory connects mood symptoms to unresolved conflict, early experiences, or anger turned inward.
Psychodynamic theory
This mood state includes elevated or irritable mood, increased energy, decreased need for sleep, pressured speech, and risky behavior.
Mania
This treatment uses timed exposure to bright light and may help some clients with seasonal depression.
Postpartum depression
These medications may be used for mania, bipolar depression, severe depression with psychosis, or mood stabilization.
Antipsychotics
Persistent hopelessness, inability to function, suicidal thoughts, or psychosis may indicate this level of mood disturbance.
Severe mood disturbance
This theory focuses on trauma, loss, isolation, poverty, chronic illness, or lack of support.
Environmental or social theory
This bipolar disorder requires at least one manic episode.
Bipolar I disorder
Hallucinations, delusions, severe confusion, or thoughts of harming self or baby after childbirth suggest this emergency condition.
Postpartum psychosis
This nursing intervention involves asking directly about suicidal thoughts, plan, means, and past attempts.
Suicide risk assessment
This is the priority nursing concern when a client expresses hopelessness and thoughts of death.
Safety or suicide risk assessment
In children, depression may appear as stomachaches, school problems, clinginess, sleep changes, or this behavior.
Regression
This bipolar disorder includes at least one hypomanic episode and one major depressive episode, with no full manic episode.
Bipolar II disorder
This behavior associated with postpartum depression may make a parent feel ashamed or afraid to ask for help.
Feeling disconnected from the baby or difficulty bonding
A client has not slept for three days, is speaking rapidly, pacing constantly, and says they are starting several businesses tonight. The nurse recognizes these cues as this mood state.
Mania