Emotional Disorders: Types, Symptoms, Causes And Treatment
What are emotional disorders and how can we detect them? Over the last decades, these types of disorders have been included and rethought in the DSM (Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders).
In this article we are going to explain each of these emotional disorders, what symptoms and causes each one has and how they can be managed through therapy or with simple psychological advice.
We are going to know this type of disorders according to their frequency, as well as their most notable characteristics.
1. Major depressive disorder
One of the most recognizable mood disorders, and one that requires psychological and psychiatric intervention in most cases.
Symptoms
To be diagnosed with major depression, the mental health professional must notice at least five of the following symptoms, and for a minimum period of two weeks:
2. Dysthymic disorder
Dysthymia is another mood disorder directly related to depression. To be diagnosed with dysthymia, the patient must show a depressed mood for most of the day and for a period of at least two years, with no two-month period in which their mood returns to normal.
Symptoms
Two or more of the following symptoms must appear during the two-year period:
3. Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder, also known as bipolarity, is the predisposition to suffer episodes of mania alternating with stages of major depression. These swings in mood lead to states of euphoria and frenetic activity over long periods of time, only to then fall into apathy and despair.
There are two types of bipolar disorder: I and II. They differ in one characteristic of the manic episode. In bipolar I disorder, manic episodes complete with stages of low mood are intermittent. However, in bipolar II disorder, hypomanic episodes (milder than manic episodes) and depressive episodes are intermittent.
Symptoms
Be that as it may, the symptoms of both subtypes are these:
4. Cyclothymic disorder
Cyclothymic disorder is a disorder similar to bipolar II disorder. It is distinguished because its episodes are milder, although their duration is longer.
Symptoms
The symptoms that warn of the arrival of this disorder are the following:
Causes of emotional disorders
In the scientific and academic community there are different points of view and controversies about what are the most frequent causes of emotional disorders. However, Yes, there are several factors that can influence its appearance
These mental disorders are multi-causal. That is, they do not appear due to a single factor, but rather it is the addition of several factors that can cause the disorder.
1. Genetics
If there is a history in the family of people who have suffered emotional disorders, this may indicate a biological and genetic predisposition. Different investigations conclude that People with family members who have suffered from mood disorders are 2 to 3 times more likely to suffer from the same psychological disorder (Gershon, 1990).
However, there are also cases in which a disorder develops without a family history existing or being proven. For this same reason, many experts indicate that there are environmental and psychosocial factors that can be closely linked to the appearance of diseases such as depression.
The brain and its internal biochemistry have determining effects on the appearance (or not) of emotional disorders.
Neurotransmitters: Studies show low levels of the hormone serotonin in people suffering from depression. This neurotransmitter regulates our emotions, and when we have low levels we tend to appear more unstable and vulnerable.
Endocrine system: several research points to the link between the onset of depression and the hormone cortisol. This hormone increases during times of stress and is also apparently unusually high in people affected by mood disorders.
3. Stress and traumatic episodes
More than 60% of emotional disorders arise after a bad psychological experience Psychological trauma and stress are behind most psychological disorders.
When a depression patient is asked about the life events that occurred just before falling into a depressive state, many of them report having suffered a love breakup, having had a child, having been fired from work, having started a university degree…
This does not mean that the emotional disorder appears only because of this psychological trauma, but rather that the person already had a predisposition to suffer from a mood disorder, and stress has accelerated the mechanisms that lead to it.
4. Personality
Certain individuals have recurrent negative thoughts, low self-esteem, external locus of control, and tend to worry excessively by the circumstances that life presents them. This type of personality makes them more likely to suffer from an emotional disorder.
They are individuals who incur a very common cognitive bias: arbitrary inference. That is, they tend to highlight the negative factors of a situation or circumstance over the positive ones. Furthermore, they commit overgeneralization, that is, they draw general conclusions when faced with specific and negative situations that have occurred to them.
Treatment
There are several ways to treat emotional disorders.
1. Antidepressants
There are three types of drugs used to relieve depression: tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAO), and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
These medications act on the brain and regulate neurotransmitters, which leads to the patient’s mood improving in most cases. In any case, this type of pharmacological treatment must be prescribed by a psychiatrist, who will monitor the patient’s evolution.
2. Lithium
Lithium is a common salt that is used as a mood-regulating medication, mainly in manic episodes of bipolar disorder. In any case, it has more severe side effects compared to other drugs that combat depression.
In cases of bipolarity, the administration of certain antidepressants is also common in order to relieve episodes of low mood. Likewise, antipsychotics such as haloperidol may also be prescribed if your reaction to lithium has not been as expected.
3. Psychological therapy
Psychological therapy is very effective when managing episodes of depression and bipolar disorder. In some cases, especially in bipolar disorder, psychotherapy must be carried out in parallel with pharmacological treatment.
Cooper, R. (2014). Diagnosing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: Fifth Edition.
Harris, R. (2012). Question of confidence. From fear to freedom. Santander: Sal Terrae.
Wykes, T. (2011). Diagnoses towards the DSM V (in English). Journal of Mental health.
