 mood disorder is a group of diagnoses in the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (dsm iv tr) classification system where a disturbance in the person's mood is hypothesized to be the main underlying feature. the classification is known as mood (affective) disorders in icd 10. english psychiatrist henry maudsley proposed an overarching category of affective disorder. the term was then replaced by mood disorder, as the latter term refers to the underlying or longitudinal emotional state, whereas the former refers to the external expression observed by others. two groups of mood disorders are broadly recognized; the division is based on whether a manic or hypomanic episode has ever been present. thus, there are depressive disorders, of which the best-known and most researched is major depressive disorder (mdd) commonly called clinical depression or major depression, and bipolar disorder (bd), formerly known as manic depression and characterized by intermittent episodes of mania or hypomania, usually interlaced with depressive episodes. however, there are also psychiatric syndromes featuring less severe depression known as dysthymic disorder (similar to but milder than mdd) and cyclothymic disorder (similar to but milder than bd). mood disorders may also be substance-induced or occur in response to a medical condition. == classification == === depressive disorders === * major depressive disorder (mdd), commonly called major depression, unipolar depression, or clinical depression, wherein a person has one or more major depressive episodes. after a single episode, major depressive disorder (single episode) would be diagnosed. after more than one episode, the diagnosis becomes major depressive disorder (recurrent). depression without periods of mania is sometimes referred to as unipolar depression because the mood remains at the bottom "pole" and does n
Abnormal_psychology History_of_medicine Mood_disorders