Mood swings: how can they be managed?

Are mood swings always a cause for concern?

Mood swings are not always a cause for concern. Mood swings can be normal if you are under  a lot of stress or you are not sleeping.

Mood swings can be normal so what doctors look for is the degree of reaction; the degree of  emotional distress or impact of the mood swings.

Another essential thing that psychiatrists look at is how the mood swings affect functioning, whether the mood swings impair functioning at work or at home and whether they are very distressing.

Mood swings are not always a cause for concern and do not always need treatment. However, if they’re impacting people’s lives they are finding them distressing, then it’s worth seeeking advice or getting an assessment.

When should you see a specialist about mood swings?

Usually people seek advice after they have tried common sense ways of dealing with the mood swings such as exercise, lifestyle changes or in some cases, medication from the GP.

However, if the mood swings are very distressing and if they severly impact how people feel about themsleves then it is worth seeing a specialist.

If there is associated risks, such as if people are hypermanic and spending a lot and getting into debt or engaging in other types of reckless behaviour then this is an important indicator that they should seek specialist advice.

On the other hand, if you start getting depressed as part of the mood swings and start feeling suicidal or have urges to self-harm then the risk levels increase and you should seek specialist advice.

If over the years the symptoms are recurrent and cause difficulties, you should seek a therapist.

How can mood swings be prevented or managed?

The purpose of seeing a specialist is to help you uncover the likely causes of the mood swings and whether they are related to bipolar disorder, ADHD or trauma.

Depending on the diagnosis, the doctor will usually work with you to get the right balance of tretament, whether it’s lifestyle or social changes or if it’s exercise or diet, alongside psychological treatment.

There are some types of specific psychological treatments such as trauma focused CPD and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) which is a specific treatment which is used for PTSD.

There are specific types of psychological treatments which can help, if the mood swings are caused by attachment problems and more personality problems then dialectic behavioural therapy (DPT) can be very useful for longer term psychologcial treatment and personality problems.

Alongside these, there is a whole host of different types of medications which can be useful for mood swings. Sometimes anti-depressants can help with anxiety, the low part of mood swings or panic attacks but there’s a whole range of mood stabilisers which can help.

Dopamine often can help stabilise mood and bipolar disorder. There are a whole range of different mood stabilisers of different levels of severity for bipolar disorder e.g. lamotrigine, valproate and various different anti- psychotics. Lithium can sometimes be used to help control mood swings.

If you wish to take medication and have got any particular concerns or worries about different types of treatment, the doctor will be able to help you to work out which type of medication is best.