Mood disturbances

ANSWER Frankly, at this point, we have only anecdotal evidence. And as Dr. Schuster mentioned yesterday, people s responses can be very misleading. I could cite three individuals who attribute some mood disturbances to their prior MDMA use, but one wonders how much their reports are based on what you want to hear. 

Cyclothymic disorder is a chronic mood disturbance generally lasting at least 2 years (1 year in children and adolescents) and characterized by mood swings including periods of hypomania... 

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a constellation of symptoms including mild mood disturbance and physical symptoms that occur prior to menses and resolve with initiation of menses. It is estimated that up to 70% of menstruating women experience symptoms of PMS. However, a spectrum of premenstrual mood disturbances exists and the most severe is premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Approximately 4% to 7% of women have PMDD. A summary of the American Psychiatric Association s criteria for PMDD is as follows1,21 ... 

Premenstrual syndrome A constellation of symptoms including mild mood disturbance, and physical symptoms that occur prior to menses, and resolve with initiation of menses. 

London, E.D., Simon, S.L., Berman, S.M. et al. Mood disturbances and regional cerebral metabolic abnormalities in recently abstinent methamphetamine abusers. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry. 61 73, 2004. 

The weight-loss effects of chromium have not been proven. Chromium may be unsafe in high doses, especially when combined with picolinate. Specifically, chromium picolinate may cause headaches and mood disturbances. High doses may lead to blood and disorders of the liver and kidney, and may increase the risk of cancer. 

Long-term amphetamine abuse results in many damaging effects, not least of which is addiction. Chronic abusers exhibit symptoms that can include violent behavior, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia. They also can display a number of psychotic features, including paranoia, auditory hallucinations, mood disturbances, and delusions (for example, the sensation of insects creeping on the skin). The paranoia can result in homicidal as well as suicidal thoughts. 

D. In addition, the mood disturbance is not due to a substance or general medical condition. 

Huntington s disease, an autosomal dominant disorder, has a mean age-of-onset of 43-48 years. Symptoms appear gradually and worsen over a period of about 15 years until death occurs. Mood disturbance, impaired memory, and hyperrefiexia are often the first signs, followed by abnormal gait, chorea (loss of motor control), dystonia, dementia, and dysphagia. Cases of juvenile onset (<10 years old) are more severe and most frequently occur when the defective allele is inherited paternaily. About 25% of cases have late onset, slower progression, and milder symptoms. 

The mood disorders were once called affective disorders and are grouped into two main categories unipolar and bipolar. The unipolar depressive disorders include major depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder the bipolar disorders include bipolar 1, bipolar II, bipolar not otherwise specified, and cyclothymic disorder. Other mood disorders are substance-induced mood disorders and mood disorders due to a general medical condition. In addition, mood disturbance commonly occurs as a symptom in other psychiatric disorders including dementia, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse disorders, and schizophrenia. 

Depression is an imprecisely used term both in public circles and in the mental health community. It may refer to brief feelings of sadness or to a mood disturbance manifesting profound despair that persists over time. In the latter sense, depression represents the key symptoms of a psychiatric mood disorder. 

Again, the character of the patient s prior episodes, premorbid functioning, and family history all are helpful. By definition, schizophrenia is marked by a 6-month decline in social and occupational functioning that is seldom seen in bipolar illness. In addition, the delusions and hallucinations of schizophrenia are present during periods of normal mood, whereas bipolar patients only experience psychotic symptoms in the context of severe mood disturbance (i.e., mania or depression). 

Between the mood disorders and schizophrenia lies schizoaffective disorder. Taking both unipolar and bipolar forms, schizoaffective disorder is manifested by periods of mood disturbance accompanied by psychotic symptoms that persist even when the mood disturbance has resolved. Schizoaffective disorder typically produces a greater degree of social dysfunction than bipolar illness but less impairment than schizophrenia. 

The schizoaffective diagnosis is warranted when the patient at times fulfills criteria for schizophrenia while no mood disturbance is evident but at other times also fulhlls criteria for a major depressive episode or a manic episode. 

Decades after the onset of illness, some patients experience a distinct improvement and enter a residual phase of the disorder. In this phase, positive symptoms wane or disappear altogether. Negative symptoms, mood disturbance, and cognitive impairment may, however, persist. 

Appropriate management of AN also requires the early detection and treatment of any comorbid psychiatric disorders. The most common comorbid conditions associated with AN are major depressive disorder (MDD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and substance use disorders. At the time of presentation, over 50% of AN patients also fulfill criteria for MDD however, accurate diagnosis of depression in these patients is complicated by the fact that prolonged starvation often produces a mood disturbance and neurovegetative symptoms identical to MDD. If MDD appears to be comorbid with AN at the time of presentation, there is debate as to whether it is more prudent to withhold treatment of the depression until weight restoration has been initiated. If the depression persists despite refeeding, then treatment of the depression is likely warranted. 

Neuropsychiatric disturbances in AD fall into five main categories, including personality alterations, mood disturbances, psychosis, disturbances of psy-... 

Neuropsychological impairments in mood disorders, particularly those of working memory and executive function, are the most convincing and objective demonstrations of an impairment of consciousness. Since these impairments do not correlate with the severity of the mood disturbance and persist upon recovery they are not simply epiphenomena of the mood disturbance but rather may index trait pathology in susceptible individuals. It has previously been argued that mood disturbance and neuropsychological impairment may result from disturbances in two different neurochemical systems, the serotonin (5-HT) system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, between which there is a close interaction (McAllister-Williams et al., 1998). 

For more than 40 years, Li+ has been used to treat mania. While it is relatively inert in individuals without a mood disorder, lithium carbonate is effective in 60 to 80% of all acute manic episodes within 5 to 21 days of beginning treatment. Because of its delayed onset of action in the manic patient, Li+ is often used in conjunction with low doses of high-potency anxiolytics (e.g., lo-razepam) and antipsychotics (e.g. haloperidol) to stabilize the behavior of the patient. Over time, increased therapeutic responses to Li+ allow for a gradual reduction in the amount of anxiolytic or neuroleptic required, so that eventually Li+ is the sole agent used to maintain control of the mood disturbance. 

In addition to its acute actions, Li+ can reduce the frequency of manic or depressive episodes in the bipolar patient and therefore is considered a mood-stabilizing agent. Accordingly, patients with bipolar disorder are often maintained on low stabilizing doses of Li+ indefinitely as a prophylaxis to future mood disturbances. Antidepressant medications are required in addition to Li+ for the treatment of breakthrough depression. 

Treatment with steroids may initially evoke euphoria. This reaction can be a consequence of the salutary effects of the steroids on the inflammatory process or a direct effect on the psyche. The expression of the unpredictable and often profound effects exerted by steroids on mental processes generally reflects the personality of the individual. Psychiatric side effects induced by glucocorticoids may include mania, depression, or mood disturbances. Restlessness and early-morning insomnia may be forerunners of severe psychotic reactions. In such situations, cessation of treatment might be considered, especially in patients with a history of personality disorders. In addition, patients may become psychically dependent on steroids as a result of their euphoric effect, and withdrawal of the treatment may precipitate an emotional crisis, with suicide or psychosis as a consequence. Patients with Cushing s syndrome may also exhibit mood changes, which are reversed by effective treatment of the hypercortisolism. 

Mood disturbances, such as irritability and depression dry mouth aggressive behavior... 

B. During the period of mood disturbance, three (or more) of the following symptoms have persisted (four if the mood is only irritable) and have been present to a significant degree ... 

D. The mood disturbance is sufficiently severe to cause marked impairment in occupational functioning or in usual social activities or relationships with others, or to necessitate hospitalization to prevent harm to self or others, or there are psychotic features. 

Emotional symptoms and changes in social functioning include blunted affect, mood disturbances such as irritability, fearfulness, and suspicion, negative symptoms such as marked apathy, paucity of speech, or incongruity of emotional responses resulting in social withdrawal and lowering of social performance. 

Two commonly used anticonvulsant medications for the treatment and prophylaxis of bipolar mood disorder in adults with MR are carbamazepine and valproic acid. Reid et al. (1981) compared carbamazepine to placebo in a double-blind, crossover fashion in 12 overactive adults with severe MR. Those described as having elevated moods and distractibility responded to treatment, while those without mood disturbance did not. Glue (1989) treated 10 adults with MR and rapidcycling bipolar mood disorder with lithium alone, lithium and carbamazepine, and carbamazepine alone. None of the patients treated with carbamazepine alone responded, while half of the patients showed partial or complete improvement with lithium alone or in combination with carbamazepine. 

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