Mood Disorders

Antidepressants encompass several classes of medications and are used to treat individuals with depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric conditions, as well as to manage chronic pain and menopausal symptoms. Bupropion is an atypical antidepressant that acts by increasing neurotransmitter levels and alleviates the symptoms of depression. Brexanolone is a neurosteroid mainly used for the management of postpartum depression.

Major depressive disorder (MDD), commonly called depression, is a unipolar mood disorder characterized by persistent low mood and loss of interest in association with somatic symptoms for a duration of ≥ 2 weeks. Major depressive disorder has the highest lifetime prevalence among all psychiatric disorders. Biologic, psychosocial, and genetic factors contribute to depression. Treatment methods include pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, and neuromodulation therapies such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The leading cause of death associated with MDD is suicide, which is more common in the elderly population.

Bipolar disorder is a highly recurrent psychiatric illness characterized by periods of manic/hypomanic features (distractibility, impulsivity, increased activity, decreased sleep, talkativeness, grandiosity, flight of ideas) with or without depressive symptoms. The etiology is unknown but is believed to be a complex interplay of different factors: genetic, neurobiologic, and environmental. Diagnosis is clinical, with the help of screening tools to determine mood and depression symptoms. Underlying substance use or medical conditions need to be ruled out with laboratory and imaging tests if indicated. Treatment of bipolar disorder varies based on the presenting features but usually involves pharmacotherapy with lithium, valproic acid, and/or antipsychotic medications. Other methods include psychotherapy and somatic therapies. Acute severe mania is a medical emergency and generally requires hospitalization. Maintenance therapy is typically necessary to reduce symptoms, prevent new mood episodes, decrease risk of suicide, and improve overall psychosocial functioning.

Affective or mood disorders are characterized by various types of psychiatric diseases that can be disruptive to patient's life. They can involve abrupt onsets of manic or depressive episodes of mood changes and and often combinations of the two. Patients usually experiences depressive episodes of agitation, sleep disturbance, eating disturbances, lack of interest and feelings of worthlessness or guilt. The mania is usually associated with violence to others. Psychotherapy, medical treatment or even electroconvulsive therapy in extreme cases are the mainstay treatment of affective disorders.