Decreased mood is characterized by a systematic decrease in the emotional, mental and motor activity of a person. Basically, this disorder occurs among women due to the peculiarities of the emotional component of their nervous system.
Anything can affect the mood. It is worth noting that a depressed state is only the beginning; it entails a deterioration in the functioning of the nervous system. It is impossible to talk about the exact reasons, since they are still being studied. It is possible that heredity also affects this. Among the probable causes of a noticeable decrease in mood, stressful situations and socio-economic problems in a person’s life can be noted.
In addition, a decrease in mood may be just a concomitant symptom of a disease: schizophrenia, cyclothymia, dysthymia, asthenia, and other neurological and mental disorders. Also, this condition can be one of the symptoms of depression. Depression, in turn, can be of a different nature: sad, anxious, apathetic, neurosis-like. At the same time, a noticeable decrease in mood is observed in almost every patient with such a disease. Naturally, this includes drug addicts and people who recently tried to commit suicide.
It’s no secret that the environment affects the decline in mood. Due to the negative impact of the environment in humans, the level of immunity decreases, the natural protective functions of the body weaken. Also, the cause of the development of this disease can be a traumatic brain injury.
Causes of Decreased Mood
One of the most common causes is negative events. People often conflict with each other, they fail to achieve any goals, they receive losses. All this contributes to the deterioration of mood. It should also be noted mental and physical stress. In moderation, they increase vitality. If there are too many of them, then physical and psycho-emotional exhaustion occurs.
With neurosis, a functional, reversible disorder of the nervous regulation of various functions occurs. One of the main manifestations of neurosis is a deterioration in mood. It is worth noting that in connection with this, there is an expression – “all diseases are from the nerves.” It is believed that mood worsens due to a decrease in the number of neurotransmitters in the nervous system. Neurotransmitters are hormones of joy. There is also such a problem as psychosis. They are an order of magnitude more serious than neuroses, and, as a rule, are irreversible personality disorders. The most common are schizophrenia and manic-depressive psychosis. The latter is remarkable in that a person can be in a state of euphoria for a long period, but at one moment the mood changes dramatically to depressive.
Metabolism can also contribute to lowering mood. A person may lack any enzyme or hormone: thyroid gland – thyrotropic, adrenal – adrenocorticotropic, gonads. Thus, the metabolism is disturbed, and this is reflected in the emotional-volitional area.
Almost everyone knows about the harm caused by alcohol and drugs. They negatively affect the central nervous system and worsen mood. Drugs block the flow of neurotransmitters, in connection with which a person develops depression and there is a need for a large amount of narcotic drugs.
A fairly common cause of mood deterioration is long-term use of medications. This is not about conventional drugs, but about certain groups: antihypertensives, psychotropic drugs and corticosteroids.
Symptoms of the disease
A person with low mood is constantly in a depressed state, yearns and feels sadness. It should be understood that every day the condition worsens, as the patient does not find a way to solve the current problem. Besides, he doesn’t even want to do it. In more advanced cases, a person engages in self-flagellation and blames himself for everything. He does not see a bright future, refuses food. Due to a decrease in appetite, weight begins to decrease, weakness of the body and pain in the chest and abdomen appear. There are also problems with sleep.
A person who has a decrease in mood is not confident in himself, has low self-esteem. He is not satisfied with the results of his own activities and is indifferent to everything that happens around him.
In addition to the psyche, the human body also suffers: physical endurance is noticeably reduced, coordination of movements, blood pressure and heartbeat are disturbed. In addition, imaginary diseases, headaches, and tinnitus may appear. Naturally, all of the above manifestations will not be clearly expressed to the same extent. In some patient, they may not appear.
Diagnosis and treatment methods
Decreased mood indicates that a person has a problem. It is impossible to deal with this on your own, as this can give an even more negative result. If a person is faced with such a disease, you should contact a psychiatrist or psychotherapist. The doctor talks with the patient, examines his emotional state, determines possible causes. If necessary, the specialist prescribes a number of laboratory tests: a blood test, electroencephalography.
In addition to drug treatment, psychotherapeutic intervention is also required. It is important that the doctor is able to help the patient resolve all internal conflicts, restore his emotional state and strengthen his will. Working with a person, the doctor tries to show him that there is a way out of this situation, and perhaps more than one.
It is important to understand that low mood is not a dangerous disorder. However, if this problem is not dealt with in time, it can lead to more serious consequences. A person may have thoughts of suicide, and this is quite serious.