How To Diagnose and Treat Mood Disorders

By Steven T. Griggs, Ph.D.

Here's what's in it:
Lots of vignettes--snippets of what people describe as mood fits, or mood episodes. These are little stories, primarily about depression or Bipolar disorder--the two BIG ones that are also the most common.
Statistics--how many people have mood disorders? Which ones?
Definitions: Ever wonder what's the difference between emotion, feeling, mood and affect?
What's normal? I have a scale, my way of thinking about moods based on over three decades of working with clients in an outpatient setting. There are symptom lists for all of them, and from where you are on the scale, the diagnoses. Easy.
Symptoms of anxiety. This is sometimes thought of as a mood, sometimes as a symptom accompanying moods, depending...
What moods are not, some examples of overlapping diagnostic categories and how they differ from primary mood disorders.
Then, I drill down to the specifics of each mood problem. There are eight kinds of depression and three kinds of Bipolar, plus some sub-bipolar types.
Ever thought of what causes mood problems? There are physical and psychological causes. I cover them in common language.
Then, what about treatment? I go through exactly what I do in the office. I look at genetics, long-term history, near-term history, substance use (including alcohol), diet, sleep, medical conditions, medication side-effects, social supports. I tell you how to think about each.
Therapy? The best models, like CBT and DBT.
Unique to this ebook is the next section on Related Findings. There are 40 studies that give you more ways to think about and to handle moods--many of them are surprising. All of them are helpful.
The next section is on Herbs. There are many that do the same thing as medication, only with less side effects. They're also cheaper, more available and you don't have to go through your doctor, insurance company or pharmacy. Herbs work on moods and anxiety.
Next is a section on supplements. Same idea--lots of things to try that you can regulate. Science has validated many of these, just like herbs.
Of course, there's also a section on medication. Herbs and supplements don't always work, so if and when that becomes true, here's a list of the meds that are commonly used, for which moods, why and how they work and their potential side effects.
But wait...there's more. Recent research has uncovered many alternative treatments, especially for depression. I present seven.
For those researchers among you, there's also a lengthy Bibliography so you can look up my original sources.
Lastly, there's a section for Quotes, which I really like. This provides a more human and poetic element, a personal touch when thinking about moods.
Most of the pop-psychology books are too long. I’ve boiled down the concepts in these books into clear, manageable steps. I’ve made this as easy to understand as is humanly possible, combining what I’ve read with what I’ve learned from clients.
Like my other ebooks, this one has no fat. Think of it as a "Cliffs Notes" publication. It's "sort of" a quick read (about an hour or two). I have to explain a few new terms, because there are new ideas and the terms you probably already know are put together in new ways. The theory I espouse is different from standard "behavior change" books. It works better and is very simple to understand. That's the point of an ebook. My research has not turned up another ebook that does what mine does.
Ebooks are replacing standard books because they are quicker and easier to obtain. There is a need for immediate information, reasonably priced. I've priced this ebook to be at least twenty percent undermarket, considering what bookstores charge and the travel costs to and from. The ebook is 49 pages and can be immediately downloaded. The price is:

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steven T. Griggs, Ph.D.
• Release date: Dec 2, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370210244

Steven T. Griggs, Ph.D.

I'm a psychologist. I write no-fat, how-to ebooks on subjects and conditions I fix everyday in the office. These include relationships, being assertive, struggling with guilt and/or procrastination, children and teenager's behavior, anxiety disorders, anger management, kids and divorce, self-esteem, child visitation, weight control, forgiveness, ADHD, addictions, and my latest, mood disorders. I've written 15 ebooks, and most of them are translated into Spanish. Now, I'm starting to write a book, "The Other Side of the Couch." It's about my daily experiences as an outpatient psychologist and how I see the world through the lense of a shrink...

Book preview

How to Diagnose and Treat Mood Disorders

by

Steven T. Griggs, Ph.D.

A PSYCHOLOGICAL CORPORATION

http:www.psychologyproductsandservices.commood.html

Copyright ©2017 by Steven T. Griggs, Ph.D.

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. Please do not participate in or encourage the piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

DISCLAIMER

This ebook is written to assist those who wish to learn about assessing and treating mood problems. The information is written in ordinary English and presented in a manner that is not too technical (clinical), even though some terms and concepts are necessary. It is intended for adults of reasonably sound mental states who wish to learn about mood problems, evaluate themselves or others and take steps to improve the condition, using concepts and techniques that are well known in the standard literature or that have been adapted andor modified by this author through years of outpatient clinical experience. Many of the concepts also apply to teenagers, even younger children. When interpreting the material in this ebook with respect to minors, use caution andor seek additional services from competent mental health professionals.

The material in this ebook conforms to the general standards of the psychiatric and psychological professions in the United States. It is designed to assist people in general and is not meant to be a substitute for professional intervention. The concepts in this ebook have been empirically validated by external sources, and honed by many years of outpatient clinical practice. However, the concepts in this ebook are not to be used by themselves as diagnostic instruments. All information presented is to be coordinated with trained professionals, who by way of their training and licenses, are qualified to render a final diagnosis. All treatment descriptionssuggestionsrecommendations, including information about herbsmedications should also be validated by and coordinated with a mental health professional.

The author of this ebook does not claim the enclosed information will cure mood problems or its many symptoms, only that it will give the general reader a better sense of the range of ideas, concepts, terms and approaches in this area. Hence, it is assumed that the reader has normal or average competence and ability to read, think about and understand materials of this nature, and will seek professional help if necessary.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

DEFINITIONS

WHAT IS NORMAL?

DIAGNOSES

CAUSES

TREATMENT

RELATED FINDINGS

HERBS

SUPPLEMENTS

MEDICATION

ATYPICAL TREATMENTS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

QUOTES

OTHER EBOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR

INTRODUCTION

"Depression... it just eats you up from the inside out. It’s like a monster inside your head that takes over. The worst thing is to know that my family and friends were doing all they could yet I still felt so lonely. Anything that was said to me, I managed to turn into a bad thing. I was literally my own worst enemy. I would come home and feel so exhausted from all of the voices in my head that I would just sleep to block it all out. I didn’t want to wake up because living was a nightmare. I felt sick with the fear of night time because that’s when the voices got even louder. I would get so frustrated because it seemed impossible to sleep, as if insomnia and depression go hand in hand."-- Amy

Depression is the leading cause of disability and ill health worldwide. There are over 300 million people living with depression around the world. This represents an increase of 18% between 2005 and 2015, according to figures put out by the World Health Organization (WHO). Almost 50% of people who are depressed do not get any treatment, even in high-income countries. The biggest reasons are stigma and lack of mental health facilities. Here's a vignette on Bipolar illness:

"It feels painful (mentally and physically), stressful, scary, and dramatic. Most people think mania is great, but it’s not. During my manic episode, I spend a lot, I can’t feel any emotions, I shut people out, I’m impulsive, and I’m mean. Then I cycle into a depression, and it’s a quick transition. It’s usually a mixed episode for a couple weeks (both manic and depressed), and turns into full-blown depression. That’s when I deal with the repercussions of the mania. I’ll have spent all my money and find myself in severe debt. My relationship will need mending. My physical health will deteriorate. Imagine experiencing the mania to depression (back to mania) four or more times a year. It’s exhausting. And it hurts. It hurts my brain and it hurts my body. I think the worst part is knowing that it’s going to happen. No matter how hard I try to treat it in advance, it always happens; and I never know the severity in advance." -- Lyndsay

Bipolar disorders occur less frequently. Bipolar I (BP I) occurs in approximately 0.6 percent and Bipolar II (BP II) occurs between 0.3 and 0.8 percent of the population.

Everyday each of us experiences a range and variety of emotions, feelings, moods, and affects. It is endemic to the human condition, perhaps to most if not all mammals, as well. Psychiatry and psychology have long recognized that these four subjective conditions are normal; that is, they are so built into the fabric of human behavior that deviations from the norm immediately become apparent. Yet, defining what is normal is more difficult than it seems. We all recognize an abnormal affect or mood or even a simple feeling when it occurs. But, defining such requires a vocabulary most of us do not possess. The first thing we need to do is try to define some terms. With more precise definitions comes the ability to better perceive when one or more of the below aspects is not quite so normal, and then to better diagnose problems.

DEFINITIONS

Emotion:

From the latin emovere, emotion translates as to move, to excite, to stir up or to agitate.

In some of the literature, there are five basic emotions. Others say seven or eight. In my office, there are nine. In reality, there are thousands of gradations, flavors or shades of the basic nine (discussed below).

An emotion is one of many