Mood swing - wikipedia Mood swing Bipolar disorder is characterized by extreme mood swings, usually between mania and depression A mood swing is an extreme or rapid change in mood. Such mood swings can play a positive part in promoting problem solving and in producing flexible forward planning. However, when mood swings are so strong that they are disruptive, they may be the main part of a bipolar disorder. Contents 1 Overview 1.1 Speed and extent 2 Causes 2.1 Brain chemistry 2.2 List of conditions known to cause mood swings 3 Treatment 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External links Overview Speed and extent Mood swings can happen any time at any place, varying from the microscopic to the wild oscillations of manic depression, so that a continuum can be traced from normal struggles around self - esteem, through cyclothymia, up to a depressive disease. However most people 's mood swings remain in the mild to moderate range of emotional ups and downs. The duration of 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. 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. Causes Changes in a person 's energy level, sleep patterns, self - esteem, concentration, drug or alcohol use can be signs of an oncoming mood disorder. Many different things might trigger mood swings, from unhealthy diet or lifestyle to drug abuse or hormonal imbalance. Other major causes of mood swings ( besides bi-polar disorder and major depression ) include diseases / disorders which interfere with nervous system function. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ), epilepsy, and autism are three such examples. 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 ). The seizures associated with epilepsy involve changes in the brain 's electrical firing, and thus may also bring about striking and dramatic mood swings. 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. Celiac disease can also affect the nervous system and mood swings can appear. Not eating on time can contribute, or eating too much sugar, can cause fluctuations in blood sugar, which can cause mood swings. 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. 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. List of conditions known to cause mood swings This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( November 2013 ) Anabolic steroid abuse Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Autism or other pervasive developmental disorder Bipolar disorder or cyclothymia Borderline personality disorder Dementia, including Alzheimer 's disease, Parkinson 's disease and Huntington 's disease Epilepsy Hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism Intermittent explosive disorder Major depression Post traumatic stress disorder Pregnancy Premenstrual syndrome Schizoaffective disorder Schizophrenia Seasonal affective disorder XXYY syndrome Treatment Cognitive behavioral therapy recommends using emotional dampeners to break the self - reinforcing tendencies of either manic or depressive mood swings. 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. 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. See also Depression ( mood ) Dysthymia Euthymia Self - medication Splitting ( psychology ) References Jump up ^ Peter Salovey et al, Emotional Intelligence ( 2004 ) p. 1974 Jump up ^ `` BBC Science - When does your mental health become a problem ? ''. BBC Science. Retrieved 8 January 2015. Jump up ^ Sigmund Freud, Civilization, Society and Religion ( PFL 12 ) p. 164 Jump up ^ Otto Fenichel, The Psychoanalytic Theory of Neurosis ( 1946 ) p. 406 Jump up ^ Daniel Goleman ( 1995 ). Emotional Intelligence : Why it Can Matter More Than IQ. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. p. 57. ISBN 978 - 0747528302. ASIN 0747528306. Jump up ^ S, Nassir Ghaemi, Mood Disorder ( 2007 ) p. 243 - 4 Jump up ^ Hockenbury, Don and Sandra ( 2011 ). Discovering Psychology Fifth Edition. New York, NY : Worth Publishers. p. 549. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4292 - 1650 - 0. Jump up ^ `` Bipolar Mood Swings, Stabilizers, Triggers, and Mania. '' WebMD. WebMD, 3 May 0000. Web. 29 Feb. 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` epilepsymatters.com - Home of the Canadian Epilepsy Alliance ''. Epilepsymatters.com. Retrieved 8 January 2015. Jump up ^ `` Autism spectrum disorder ''. Nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 8 January 2015. Jump up ^ `` Chat for Adults with HFA and Aspergers : Mood Swings in Adults on the Autism Spectrum ''. Adultaspergerschat.com. Retrieved 8 January 2015. Jump up ^ Donna Williams. `` Donna Williams : Autism, Puberty and Possibility of Seizures ''. Donnawilliams.net. Retrieved 8 January 2015. Jump up ^ Stern RA ( 1996 ). `` Assessment of Mood States in Neurodegenerative Disease : Methodological Issues and Diagnostic Recommendations ''. Seminars in Clinical Neuropsychiatry. 1 ( 4 ) : 315 -- 324. doi : 10.1053 / SCNP00100315 ( inactive 2017 - 01 - 15 ). PMID 10320434. Jump up ^ `` Definition & Facts for Celiac Disease. What are the complications of celiac disease ? ''. NIDDK. June 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2018. Check date values in : access - date = ( help ) Jump up ^ Angela Haupt. `` Food and Mood : 6 Ways Your Diet Affects How You Feel ''. US News & World Report. Retrieved 8 January 2015. Jump up ^ `` Can food affect your mood ? - CNN.com ''. CNN. 26 November 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2015. Jump up ^ `` Neurobiology of Mood Disorders. '' ( PDF ). Turner-white.com. Retrieved 8 January 2015. Jump up ^ ( 1 ) Archived 4 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ Gilbert, Paul ( 1999 ). Overcoming Depression. p. 63. ISBN 978 - 0 - 465 - 01508 - 5. Jump up ^ Goleman, pp. 73 - 4 Jump up ^ Terence Real ( 1997 ). I Do n't Want to Talk About It. Newleaf. p. 279. ISBN 978 - 0717127108. ASIN 0717127109. Further reading Ronald R. Fieve, Moodswing ( 1989 ) Susanne P. Schad - Somers, On mood swings ( 1990 ) External links Understanding mood swings Borderline personality disorder General Dimensional models of personality disorders Impulse control disorders Trauma model of mental disorders Symptoms and behaviors Dissociation Eating disorders Dysregulation Feelings of emptiness Hypersexuality Idealization and devaluation Impulsivity Mood swings Projection Self - harm Splitting Suicidal ideation Management Dialectical behavior therapy Dynamic deconstructive psychotherapy McLean Hospital Mentalization - based treatment Schema therapy Social psychiatry Transference focused psychotherapy Family challenges BPDFamily ( support group ) Codependency Complex PTSD Emotional blackmail Family estrangement Personal boundaries Mood disorder ( F30 -- F39, 296 ) History Emil Kraepelin Karl Leonhard John Cade Mogens Schou Frederick K. Goodwin Kay Redfield Jamison Symptoms Hallucination Delusion Emotional dysregulation Anhedonia Dysphoria Suicidal ideation Mood swing sleep disorder Hypersomnia Insomnia Psychosis Racing thoughts Reduced affect display Depression ( differential diagnoses ) Spectrum Bipolar disorder Bipolar I Bipolar II Cyclothymia Bipolar NOS Depression ( Major depressive disorder Dysthymia Seasonal affective disorder Atypical depression Melancholic depression ) Schizoaffective disorder Mania Mixed affective state Hypomania Major depressive episode Rapid cycling Treatment Anticonvulsants Carbamazepine Lamotrigine Oxcarbazepine Valproate Sodium valproate Valproate semisodium Sympathomimetics, SSRIs & similar Dextroamphetamine Methylphenidate Bupropion Sertraline Fluoxetine Escitalopram Other mood stabilizers Antipsychotics Lithium Lithium carbonate Lithium citrate Lithium sulfate Atypical antipsychotics Non-pharmaceutical Clinical psychology Electroconvulsive therapy Involuntary commitment Light therapy Psychotherapy Transcranial magnetic stimulation Cognitive behavioral therapy Dialectical behavior therapy Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mood_swing&oldid=843265410 '' Categories : Abnormal psychology Borderline personality disorder Mood disorders Symptoms and signs : Cognition, perception, emotional state and behaviour Hidden categories : Pages with DOIs inactive since 2017 CS1 errors : dates Webarchive template wayback links Use dmy dates from June 2013 Articles needing additional references from November 2013 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Español فارسی Français עברית Српски / srpski Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 28 May 2018, at 00 : 31. 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Question: what is it called when you have sudden mood changes
Answer: A mood swing