What are the mood disorders, and what causes them?
● Major depressive disorder is diagnosed when five of the following nine symptoms (including one of the first two) are present for two or more weeks: depressed mood most of the day, little interest in activities, changes in appetite, changes in sleep, changes in activity level, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, inability to concentrate, and recurrent thoughts of suicide.
● People with bipolar disorder alternate between the hopelessness of depression and the overexcited and unreasonably optimistic state of mania.
● Several biological factors may contribute to anxiety disorders, including heredity and brain function.
● Researchers have identified a number of important social and cognitive influences on the development of mood disorders, including the way we think (attributions) and the situations in which we find ourselves (as with learned helplessness).
