Define Mood Swings

A person who has mood swings will experience her mood go up and down in as little time as a few minutes, or she can go as long as a few years between spells. Severe mood swings can alter quality of life.

Baseline

A person's baseline mood is usually consistent. It can be slightly elevated or slightly depressed, but it is what he would call how he feels when he feels "normal."

Depression

Depression occurs when a person feels her mood swing down. She might have low motivation, problems concentrating, feel sad for no reason, cry, have irregular eating habits and even have suicidal thoughts.

Mania

Mania describes when a person has a high mood. He might feel overly happy and energetic, with careless spending habits or sexual exploits, or he may be extremely irritable. He will probably have a hard time eating and sleeping. He won't need rest because he has a ton of energy.

Hypomania

Hypomania isn't as severe as mania, but can still be a problem. It has symptoms of mania, but to a lesser degree.

When to See a Doctor

If you have mood swings that are interfering with your life, you may want to see a doctor to help manage your mood swings. There are many kinds of medicines that can keep you at your baseline.

References

• Bipolar Disorder