Mood swing

Graphical comparison of mood swings, compared with bipolar disorder and cyclothymia

A mood swing is an extreme or sudden change of mood. Such changes can play a positive or a disruptive part in promoting problem solving and in producing flexible forward planning.<ref>Peter Salovey et al, Emotional Intelligence (2004) p. 1974</ref> When mood swings are severe, they may be categorized as part of a mental illness, such as bipolar disorder, where erratic and disruptive mood swings are a defining feature.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

To determine mental health problems, people usually use charting with papers, interviews, or smartphone to track their mood/affect/emotion.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Furthermore, mood swings do not just fluctuate between mania and depression, but in some conditions, involve anxiety.<ref name=":112">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Terminology

Definitions of the terms mood swings, mood instability, affective lability, or emotional lability are commonly similar, which describe fluctuating or oscillating of mood and emotions. But each has unique characteristics that are used to describe specific phenomena or patterns of oscillation.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Different from emotions or affect,<ref name=":62">Template:Cite journal</ref> mood is associated with emotional responses without knowing the reason (being unaware).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Citation." Previous literature suggests that mood often has a greater duration and is associated with an internal state value, whereas emotions are sudden and intense and are associated with greater environmental information value (Larsen et al. 2000).</ref>

The dynamics of mood, mood patterns for long times are commonly erratic,<ref>Kahmann, Daan (2022) Emotion dynamics in Tibetan monks and healthy Westerners. Bachelor's Thesis, Artificial Intelligence.university of groningen."Emotions can be very turbulent and are constantly changing."</ref> labile<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> or instable, also known as euthymic.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Although the term of mood swing is unspecific, it may be used to describe a pattern where mood goes down from positive to negative valency immediately (without delay in baseline) at specific periods.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> And also generally have aperiodic patterns.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> This is because mood dynamics are influenced by various factors which can magnify or lessen fluctuations,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> such as when expectations become reality or not.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Other terms for describing patterns are episodic, periodic, cyclothymia, rapid cycling, mixed states, short episodes, soft spectrum,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> diurnal variation, etc., although the definition of each term may be unclear.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Overview

Speed and extent

Mood swings can happen any time at any place, varying from the microscopic to the wild oscillations of bipolar disorder,<ref>Sigmund Freud, Civilization, Society and Religion (PFL 12) p. 164</ref> so that a continuum can be traced from normal struggles around self-esteem, through cyclothymia, up to a depressive disease.<ref>Otto Fenichel, The Psychoanalytic Theory of Neurosis (1946) p. 406</ref> However, most people's mood swings remain in the mild to moderate range of emotional ups and downs.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The duration of bipolar mood swings also varies. They may last a few hours – ultrarapid – or extend over days – ultradian: clinicians maintain that only when four continuous days of hypomania, or seven days of mania, occur, is a diagnosis of bipolar disorder justified.<ref>S, Nassir Ghaemi, Mood Disorder (2007) p. 243-4</ref> In such cases, mood swings can extend over several days, even weeks; these episodes may consist of rapid alternation between feelings of depression and euphoria.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Characteristics

People with high energy levels

Person with low spirited mood

• Changing mood up and down without knowing the reason or external stimuli,<ref>Template:Citation."Moods are affective states that are diffuse and unfocused, that is, not directed toward a specific object. They are continually present (tonic) and shape the background of our moment-moment experience, but fluctuate over time."</ref> in various degrees, duration and frequent, from high mood (happy, elevated, irritated) to low mood (sad, depressed).<ref name=":112"/><ref>CAMH Bipolar Clinic Staff(2013)."Bipolar disorder:an information guide".camph:Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.www.camh.ca."Everyone has ups and downs in mood. Feeling happy, sad and angry is normal...Their moods may have nothing to do with things going on in their lives."</ref>
• Sometimes it's mixed,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> a combination between manic and depression symptoms<ref name=":12">Template:Cite journal</ref> or similar with bittersweet experiences that last for a day.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Mood swings in normal people appear like "climate changing" at mild to moderate degree.<ref name=":62"/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Thus, unless it happens at a moderate degree or more, some people need more high emotional intelligence<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> to recognize their mood change.<ref>Wilhelm, Peter & Schoebi, Dominik. (2007). Assessing Mood in Daily Life Structural Validity, Sensitivity to Change, and Reliability of a Short-Scale to Measure Three Basic Dimensions of Mood. European Journal of Psychological Assessment. 23. 258-. 10.1027/1015-5759.23.4.258."Moods can be consciously experienced as soon as they gain the focus of our attention, and are then characterized by the predominance of certain subjective feelings."</ref>
• Mood swings in mental illness simply can be described by generalized complexity<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> based on mood dynamics (patterns that characterize the oscillation) like intensity (mild, moderate, severe), duration (days, weeks, years), average mood and other features, such as:<ref name=":9">van Genugten, Claire. (2022). Measurement innovation: studies on smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment in depression. VU Research Portal.ISBN 978-94-93270-96-1."Mood dynamics are the patterns that characterize fluctuations in a person's mood [64]. Mood dynamics are often operationalized by a combination of "mood variability" and "emotional inertia" [65,66].</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

1. Mood swings in cyclothymia: Mood swings occur episodically and aperiodic within 2 years or more at a moderate degree and frequently.<ref>Miklowitz, D. J., Gitlin, M. J. (2015). Clinician's Guide to Bipolar Disorder. Amerika Serikat: Guilford Publications."The mood swings of individuals with cyclothymia occur most of the time (in the DSM-5 definition, no more than 2 consecutive months have been symptom-free within a 2-year period) and never exhibit the number of symptoms or the length of ..."</ref> Characterized by coexisting with anxiety, persistence, rapid shift, intense, impulsive,<ref>Rhoads, J. (2021). Clinical Consult to Psychiatric Mental Health Management for Nurse Practitioners. Amerika Serikat: Springer Publishing Company."Mood changes in cyclothymic disorder can be abrupt and unpredictable, of short duration, and with infrequent euthymic episodes."</ref> heightened by sensitivity and reactivity to external stimuli.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
2. Mood swings in bipolar II: Episodic,<ref name=":7">Template:Cite journal</ref> hypomanic (severe degree) episodes occur continuously for 4 days,<ref name=":12" /> depression episodes for weeks,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and sometimes erratic episodes at moderate degree in between episodes.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
3. Mood swings in bipolar I: Episodic,<ref name=":7" /> manic episodes (severe degree) occur continuously for 7 days,<ref name=":12" /> depressive episodes for weeks,<ref name=":02">Last, C. G. (2009). When Someone You Love Is Bipolar: Help and Support for You and Your Partner. Ukraina: Guilford Publications."Research indicates that bipolar II depressions persist for longer periods of time than bipolar I depressions, nearly twice as long (1 year versus 6 months)."</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and sometimes erratic episodes at moderate degree in between episodes.<ref name=":12" /> Alterations in bipolar I and II can be rapid cyclic, which means changes of mood happen 4 times or more within a year.<ref>Fink, C., Kraynak, J. (2011). Bipolar Disorder For Dummies. Amerika Serikat: Wiley."Rapid cycling isn't a separate type of bipolar disorder, but your doctor may use the label to describe a particular subtype of Bipolar I or II. To qualify as a rapid-cycling sufferer, you must experience the following: You must ..."</ref> Symptoms of manic and hypomanic episodes are similar between bipolar I and bipolar II, just different in degree of intensity.<ref>Clinical Handbook for the Management of Mood Disorders. (2013). Amerika Serikat: Cambridge University Press."While both mania and hypomania are phenomenologically similar in that they occur as discrete episodes ... "</ref>
4. Mood swings in Premenstrual symptoms (PMS): Episodically at mild to severe degree in the menses period, occur gradually or rapidly,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> start 7 days before and decrease at the onset of menses.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Characterized by angry outbursts, depression, anxiety, confusion, irritability or social withdrawal.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
5. Mood swings in borderline personality disorder (BPD): Mood changes erratically with episodic mood swings.<ref>Southward, Matt & Semcho, Stephen & Stumpp, Nicole & MacLean, Destiney & Sauer, Shannon. (2020). A Day in the Life of Borderline Personality Disorder: A Preliminary Analysis of Within-Day Emotion Generation and Regulation. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment. 42. 702-713. 10.1007/s10862-020-09836-1."Graph"</ref> Mood swings fluctuate in rapid shifts for hours or days, not persistent, sensitive and heightened negative mood (e.g. irritability) by external stimuli.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Mood appears in the form of high intensity of irritability,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Reich Brad. (2012).Affective Instability in Borderline Personality Disorder.McLean Hospital."Graph"</ref> anxiety,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and moderate degree depression (characterized by hostility, anger towards self, loneliness, isolation, related with relationships, emptiness or boredom).<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
6. Mood swings in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) : Mood changes erratically and mood swings occur episodically, sometimes several times a day in rapid shifts.<ref name=":10">FW, Reimherr & Marchant, Barrie & Olsen, John & C, Halls & Kondo, Douglas & ED, Lyon & Robison, Reid. (2010). Emotional dysregulation as a core feature of adult ADHD: Its relationship with clinical variables and treatment response in two methylphenidate trials. Journal of ADHD and Related Disorders. 1. 53-64. "Graph"</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Characterized by a mild to moderate degree of irritability,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> related to the environment, impulsiveness (impatience to get rewards).<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In adult ADHD, high mood appears as excitement and low mood appears as boredom.<ref name=":10" />
7. Mood swings in schizophrenia: Although schizophrenia has flat emotions,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> a study in 2021 based on ALS-SF measures, Margrethe Collier et al., found that the score pattern of schizophrenia is similar to bipolar I.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The alteration being related to delusions or hallucinations,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> mood changes that occur internally may be difficult to express externally (blunt affect),<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and heightened by external stimuli.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
8. Mood swings in major depressive disorder (MDD): Various mood patterns,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and mood changes erratically.<ref name=":9" /> Mood swings occur episodically and fluctuate in moderate high mood and severe low mood.<ref name=":8">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Characterized by having high negative affect (bad mood) most of the time, particularly in melancholic subtype.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> And also positive diurnal variation mood (bad mood in the morning, good mood in the evening),<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> sensitivity to negative stimulation and mixed symptoms in some people, etc.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
9. Mood swings in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Mood changes erratically<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> with episodic mood swings rising in the period of recovery process.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Characterized by temporary fluctuations in negative affect (anxiety, irritability, shame, guilt) and self-esteem, reactive to environmental reminders,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> difficulty to control emotions,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> hyperarousal symptoms, etc.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Causes

There can be many different causes for mood swings. Some mood swings can be classified as normal/healthy reactions, such as grief processing, adverse effects of substances/drugs, or a result of sleep deprivation. Mood swings can also be a sign of psychiatric illnesses in the absence of external triggers or stressors.

Changes in a person's energy level, sleep patterns, self-esteem, sexual function, concentration, drug or alcohol use can be signs of an oncoming mood disorder.<ref>"Bipolar Mood Swings, Stabilizers, Triggers, and Mania." WebMD. WebMD, 3 May 0000. Web. 29 February 2012.</ref>

Other major causes of mood swings (besides bipolar disorder and major depression) include diseases/disorders which interfere with nervous system function. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), epilepsy,<ref name="epilepsymatters.com">Template:Cite web</ref> and autism spectrum are three such examples.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The hyperactivity sometimes accompanied by inattentiveness, impulsiveness, and forgetfulness are cardinal symptoms associated with ADHD. As a result, ADHD is known to bring about usually short-lived (though sometimes dramatic) mood swings. The communication difficulties associated with autism, and the associated changes in neurochemistry, are also known to cause autistic fits (autistic mood swings).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The seizures associated with epilepsy involve changes in the brain's electrical firing, and thus may also bring about striking and dramatic mood swings.<ref name="epilepsymatters.com"/> If the mood swing is not associated with a mood disorder, treatments are harder to assign. Most commonly, however, mood swings are the result of dealing with stressful and/or unexpected situations in daily life.

Degenerative diseases of the human central nervous system such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, and Huntington's disease may also produce mood swings.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Celiac disease can also affect the nervous system and mood swings can appear.<ref name='"NIDDK-CD2016"'>Template:Cite web</ref>

Not eating on time can contribute, or eating too much sugar, can cause fluctuations in blood sugar, which can cause mood swings.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Brain chemistry

If a person has an abnormal level of one or several of certain neurotransmitters (NTs) in their brain, it may result in having mood swings or a mood disorder.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Serotonin is one such neurotransmitter that is involved with sleep, moods, and emotional states. A slight imbalance of this NT could result in depression. Norepinephrine is a neurotransmitter that is involved with learning, memory, and physical arousal. Like serotonin, an imbalance of norepinephrine may also result in depression.<ref>[1] Template:Webarchive</ref>

List of conditions known to cause mood swings

• Bipolar disorder<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> or cyclothymia: Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder with characteristics of mood swings from hypomania or mania to depression. While cyclothymia is a lower degree of bipolar disorder.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> In 2022, ENIGMA Bipolar Disorder Working Group found that people with bipolar disorder have smaller subcortical volumes, lower cortical thickness and altered white matter integrity,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> which one of the functions is for emotion processing.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>
• Anabolic steroid abuse:<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Anabolic steroids are synthetic derivatives of testosterone. Used for treatment of male hypogonadism or delayed puberty,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> stimulating muscle growth,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> as well as treating impotence, and AIDS.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Studies found that overusing anabolic-androgenic steroids can cause mood swings, impulsive, and aggressive behavior.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> This behavior is associated with decreased emotion regulation systems such as the frontal cortex, temporal, parietal, and occipital.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Studies also found that using anabolic-androgenic steroids can cause neuronal changes and death in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, thus symptoms of sleep and mood disorder occur.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): ADHD is known as a disorder with difficulty keeping control of attention, hyperactivity, frequently changing focus and losing interest<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and also hyperfocus when doing something interesting or pleasurable tasks.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Mood dysregulation may be caused by distraction when absorbed in pleasurable tasks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Another contribution to mood swings is lower brain activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC),<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> orbitofrontal cortex (OFC),<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> increased size of the hippocampus and decreasing size of the amygdala in some people.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Abnormalities in these parts of the brain can cause disturbance in attention, motivation, mood, and behavioral inhibition.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Autism or other pervasive developmental disorder: Autism is a neurological and development disorder with symptoms such as lack of social skills, restricted repetitive behaviors, hyper- or hyporeactivity to sensory input, etc.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Abnormal sensory processing is one of the reasons for mood swings in autism.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Studies in 2015 found that in autism, the brain becomes overactivated in limbic areas, primary sensory cortices, and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), which functions for emotional and sensory processing. Studies found too, that the brain in autism has decreased connectivity between the amygdala and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, increased amygdala reactivity, and reduced prefrontal response which contribute to emotion dysregulation.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Borderline personality disorder: It has been theorized that borderline personality disorder comes from lack of ability to endure, learn<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and overcome negative events.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> People with BPD commonly have difficulty in relationships,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> which is associated with a tendency to anger-outbursts, judgment<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> or expecting how others behave.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Emotion dysregulation may be as a result of lack of interpersonal skills such as knowledge about emotions and how to control them, especially with intense emotions.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Mostly, people with BPD use maladaptive emotion regulations like self-criticism, thought suppression, avoidance, and alcohol, which may trigger more mood disruption.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease: Dementia is known as a decreasing brain function disease that affects older people.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite journal</ref> In Alzheimer's disease, mood dysregulation can be caused by decreasing function of emotional regulation, salience, cholinergic, GABAergic, and dopaminergic function.<ref name=":4" /> Parkinson's disease can generate mood swings and mood dysregulation such as depression, low self worth, shame and worry about the future caused by cognitive and physical problems.<ref>Template:Cite journal "Psychological symptoms and mood swings were intertwined with cognitive and physical problems, adding to the struggle of managing the demands of everyday life. The participants felt depressed, low-spirited, and were worried about the future. Some held dark and destructive thoughts and considered intentionally ending their lives. In a previous study, suicidal and death ideation was present among one-third of persons with PD [25]. "</ref> And in Huntington's disease, common mood swings occur as a result of psychosocial, cognitive deficits, neuropsychiatric and biological factors.<ref>Template:Cite journal. "Cognitive deficits combined with neuropsychiatric symptoms often cause the greatest difficulties in behaviour, for example anergia, lack of initiative, blunted affect, egocentricity, constant demands, irritation and threatening behaviour."</ref>
• Dopamine dysregulation syndrome: Dopamine dysregulation syndrome is an effect of abusing Parkinson's disease drugs to decrease motor and non-motor syndromes, which result in mania, violent behavior, and depression when withdrawal.<ref name=":2" /> Mood dysregulation from dopamine dysregulation syndrome occurs as a result of changes in the neurotransmitter systems such as disturbance in the dopaminergic reward system.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=":2">Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Epilepsy: Epilepsy is an abnormal brain activity disease marked with seizures. Seizures occur because hypersynchronous and hyperexcitability of neurons, in other words, too much neural activity and excitability at the same time.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite book</ref> Mood swings commonly appear before, during, after a seizure and during treatment.<ref>Template:Citation."Epilepsy is a disorder characterized by recurrent seizures. Epilepsy can alter mood and emotions. Treatments for epilepsy can also alter mood and emotions."</ref> Studies found that seizures contribute to decreased function of emotions and mood processing as a consequence of abnormal neurogenesis and damaged neuron connections in the hippocampus and amygdala.<ref name=":3" /> Experiencing a seizure can cause mood swings caused by depression, anxiety, or worry about life being threatened. Another source of mood change comes from anticonvulsant drugs for epilepsy, like phenobarbital for increasing brain inhibitors or antiglutamatergic for decreasing brain activity which generates depression, cognitive dysfunction, sedation or mood lability.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism: Hypo- and hyperthyroidism is an endocrine disease caused by low or excessive production of thyroid hormone. Abnormal thyroid hormone can affect mood,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> although the correlation between thyroid hormone and mood disorder is still not known.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Intermittent explosive disorder: Intermittent explosive disorder is frequent rage that occurs spontaneous, uncontrolled, unproportioned and not persistent.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> This short duration of alternate mood occurs in the form of aggression verbally or physically towards people or property, sometimes followed by regret, shame and guilt after an act which might generate depression symptoms.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Impulsive behavior in IED can be associated with hyperactivity in brain regions for regulating and emotional expression, such as the amygdala, insula, and orbitofrontal area.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Menopause:<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Menopause in women commonly happens at age 52. One factor that causes mood disturbance is fluctuation of milieu hormones<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> including sex steroids, growth hormones, stress hormones, etc.<ref>Template:Cite journal "The hormonal milieu has been hypothesized to play a role in a range of human diseases, and therefore has been a topic of much epidemiologic investigation. Hormones of particular interest include: sex steroids; growth hormones; insulin-like growth factors; stress hormones, such as cortisol; and hormones produced by the adipose tissue, termed adipokines."</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Major depression: Major depression is a disorder with symptoms such as feelings of sadness, loss of interest, emptiness<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and, for some people, mixed with irritability, mental overactivity, and behavioral overactivity.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Development of irritability or anger may result from personality traits like narcissistic or coping strategies to avoid looking sad, worthless, or frustrated.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Obsessive compulsive disorder is marked with obsessions and compulsions about something that causes life distress and dysfunction.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Alteration of mood and feeling discomfort such as shame, guilt or anxiety may occur caused by intrusive thoughts, fear, urge,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and fantasy.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Pathological demand avoidance
• Post traumatic stress disorder: Post-traumatic stress disorder is a disorder which is associated with frequently being disturbed by flashback memories and being haunted by feelings of fear and horror in the past. This contributes to the alteration of mood that occurs after a traumatic event happens, such as depression, outbursts of anger, self-destructive behaviors, and feelings of shame.<ref>Template:Citation."The symptoms of PTSD include persistently re-experiencing the traumatic event, intrusive thoughts, nightmares, flashbacks, dissociation(detachment from oneself or reality), and intense negative emotional (sadness, guilt) and physiological reaction on being exposed to the traumatic reminder." & "Once people develop PTSD, the recurrent unbidden reliving of the trauma in visual images, emotional states, or nightmares produces a constant reexposure to the terror of the trauma" & "Negative alterations in mood and cognition that began or worsened after the traumatic event..."</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Pregnancy: Women commonly experience mood swings during the pregnancy and the postpartum period. Hormone changes, stress and worry may be the reasons for changes of mood.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Premenstrual syndrome:<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Women experience premenstrual syndrome like physical pains, mood swings, irritability or depression<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> in a few days until 2 weeks of their period with different intensity.<ref name=":5">Template:Cite journal</ref> Furthermore, 4% to 14% of women experience severe PMS or premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which can decrease life quality.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Despite the reason mood dysregulation in PMS is still unclear, Studies found that mood dysregulation is related with drop in progesterone concentrations, disruption of serotonergic transmission, GABAergic, stress, body-mass index, and traumatic events.<ref name=":5" />
• Schizoaffective disorder: Mood swings in schizoaffective disorder are caused by mixed symptoms between schizophrenia and mood disorder.<ref>Template:Citation."Because of criteria that encompass both psychotic and mood symptoms, schizoaffective disorder is easy to mistake for other mental disorders."</ref>
• Schizophrenia: Schizophrenia is a disorder with symptoms of delusions, hallucinations, mood dysregulation, etc.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Mood changes may be generated from hallucinations and delusions<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> which cause anger,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> paranoia,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and shame.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Seasonal affective disorder: Seasonal affective disorder is depression which occurs during some seasons (commonly in winter), then manic or hypomanic episodes in the other season and that happens every year.<ref>Foster, P. M. (2017). The Real Guide to Teenage Depression: Handling Teen Depression A book about what matters most for teen boys and teen girls. Amerika Serikat: PatriceMFoster.com."Seasonal depression, or seasonal affective disorder, is a type of depression that affects a person every year around the same time. It is almost always observed during the winter months, particularly in places where it gets dark and ..."</ref> These fluctuating moods appear in the form of anger attacks with depression<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and occur from season to season, also known as seasonal mood swings.<ref>Basco, M. R. (2015). The Bipolar Workbook: Tools for Controlling Your Mood Swings. Amerika Serikat: Guilford Publications."Seasonal Mood Swings Sometimes mood swings occur at predictable times. Common examples are depressions that occur during the winter months and manias that occur in the spring. In this case the shifting seasons can serve as triggers for ..."</ref>
• XXYY syndrome: XXYY syndrome is a rare type of sex chromosome aneuploidies (SCAs). XXYY syndrome contributes to abnormal neurodevelopment and psychiatric diseases which can cause mood disorders.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Treatment

It's part of human nature's mood going up and down caused by various factors.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> Individual strength,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> coping skill or adaptation ability,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> social support<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> or another recovery model might determine whether mood swings will create disruption in life or not.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Cognitive behavioral therapy recommends using emotional dampeners to break the self-reinforcing tendencies of either manic or depressive mood swings.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Exercise, treats, seeking out small (and easily attainable) triumphs, and using vicarious distractions like reading or watching TV, are among the techniques found to be regularly used by people in breaking depressive swings.<ref>Goleman, pp. 73-4</ref> Learning to bring oneself down from grandiose states of mind, or up from exaggerated shame states, is part of taking a proactive approach to managing one's own moods and varying sense of self-esteem.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Behavioral activation is a component of CBT that can break the cycle (depression leads to inactivity, inactivity leads to depression).<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> This may rely on individual strengths to "cold start" the reward system.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT): Another manifestation of mood swing is irritability, which can lead to elation, anger or aggression.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> DBT has a lot of coping skills that can be used for emotion dysregulation, such as mindfulness with the "wise mind"<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> or emotion regulation with opposite action.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Emotion regulation therapy (ERT) has a package of mindful emotion regulation skills (e.g., attention regulation skills, metacognitive regulation skills, etc.) that can be handy to have when mood swings happen.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Interpersonal and social rhythm therapy can be used to regulate life rhythm when mood swings happen frequently and disrupt the rhythm of life.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Episodes of mood disorder often liberate people from daily routines by making a mess of sleep schedules, social interaction,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> or work and causing irregular circadian rhythms.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has a function to increase psychological flexibility by learning to assess present experience or be mindful, accept everything internally or externally, commit action to move toward personal recovery, etc.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Further reading

• Ronald R. Fieve, Moodswing (1989)
• Susanne P. Schad-Somers, On mood swings (1990)

External links

• Understanding mood swings