15 Causes Behind Mood Swings: How To Control Them?

The humor changes They are a natural part of our life. Experiencing them from time to time is normal, especially when there are reasons behind these kinds of feelings. However, when mood changes are sudden or extreme, as well as interfere too much with life functioning, this may be a sign that a disorder exists as the root cause. So, what can sudden mood swings mean?

Main causes of mood swings

There are many reasons why a person may experience sudden mood changes Among the most common we can find the following:

In adults:

1. Excess stress: Constantly experiencing stress can also lead to affecting our mood In day to day. In these cases, you can focus on detecting the triggers and try to deal with the situations in another way.
2. Changes: Sometimes people can be in a bad mood or suffer from changes in mood because we are going through a stage in our lives with great changes.
3. Sleep disorders: The sudden personality changes They can be influenced by suffering from sleep disorders such as insomnia. This happens because not sleeping enough hours to get a good rest can end up harming our emotional state.
4. Diet: If the diet is not balanced, this can also influence having more humor changes The reason for this is that food greatly influences hormonal development and our emotional balance.
5. Substance abuse: Excessive drug or alcohol consumption can interfere with life in such a way that symptoms are even experienced when one is not under the influence of this substance. For example, the sudden personality changes They are usually one of the consequences of disorders associated with substance abuse.
6. Medicines: The use of different medications, especially those focused on treating a psychological disorder, can affect our mood.
7. Hormonal conditions: The mood changes They also have a lot to do with hormones since they affect the chemistry of our brain. In fact, teenagers, pregnant women, or those going through menopause may experience mood swings due to hormonal changes associated with this phase of their body’s development. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder presents intense mood swings, suddenly being sad or tearful, or increased sensitivity to rejection.
8. Suffer from an illness: There are diseases that affect our central nervous system, which can result in sudden mood changes or in feeling a constant bad mood. Among the most common are diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and thyroid disorders. If you think you may be suffering from any of these conditions, it is important to see a doctor as soon as possible.
9. Personality disorders: The sudden changes in mood They can also be synonymous with certain personality disorders, such as borderline personality disorder, which involves an unstable pattern in moods, self-image, and attitude.
10. Cyclothymic disorder: When a person experiences cyclothymic disorder they may experience similar, but milder, symptoms to those suffered by a person with bipolar disorder. In this disorder, people may experience sudden urges to cry or have cyclical mood swings but without becoming as extreme as the case of bipolarity.
11. Bipolar disorder: People with bipolar disorder often experience emotions ranging from euphoria to extreme sadness. Therefore, the sudden mood changes, especially if they are very extreme, they may indicate that we are facing a sign of this psychological disorder. Mood changes occur during long cycles that usually last, in the case of euphoria, more than a week. Periods of depression are even longer. In some cases, episodes of euphoria are very rare and the mood almost always remains depressed with a notable lack of energy.
12. Major depressive disorder (MDD): The people who have a constant bad mood or who have experienced a change in mood that leads them to feel extreme sadness for most of the time, they may be facing a case of major depression. In these cases, it is important to go to a professional psychologist as soon as possible.

In children:

1. Post-traumatic stress disorder: In young children when they re-experience a traumatic event, sometimes the way to express an altered mood is through humor changes is the clinical expression of a trauma that they do not know how to say.
2. Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD): It is a condition that is generally diagnosed in children. In it, children have outbursts that do not correspond to their stage of development, which can also influence them to experience certain humor changes
3. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): The sudden mood changes They can also be part of attention deficit disorder due to low tolerance for frustration.
4. Major depressive disorder: In the case of children and adolescents with major depression, an irritable or bad mood appears more than a sad or depressed mood.

If you think you are experiencing humor changes that may be linked to a psychological disorder, it is vital that you go to a mental health professional as soon as possible.

How to treat mood swings?

The main treatment we should resort to when we suffer from sudden changes in mood It is that provided by a professional doctor or psychologist. In addition to this, there are a series of tips that we can take into account to alleviate these sudden mood swings:

• Keep a schedule: Establishing a routine can help us improve sudden mood swings since it gives us more organization and less stress in our day.
• Exercise regularly: Practicing regular exercise provides us with numerous benefits both mentally and physically, including better emotional balance.
• Get enough sleep: Getting adequate rest can also help us improve our humor changes
• Eat a healthy diet: A balanced and healthy diet allows us to improve our mood as well as our mental health.
• Practice relaxation: Yoga or meditation can help us improve our emotional balance.
• Avoid sources of stress: Identifying sources of stress and trying to avoid them can help us improve our sudden mood changes
• Express yourself: Having creative hobbies allows us to express our emotions in a different way, something that can relieve mood swings
• Speak it: Finding someone to talk to about your problems, preferably a professional psychologist, will allow you to find a way to control mood swings

experience many humor changes It is a sign that something in our lives is not going in the right direction. Therefore, identifying this problem and requesting help must be a priority.