Mood Disorders
Research papers on mood disorders can focus on any part of mood disorders or study one particular disorder such as major depression or bipolar disorder. Have the psychology researchers write a custom research paper to help you understand how mood disorders manifest.
Individuals with mood disorders usually display mood swings ranging from depression to euphoria or agitation. Major categories of mood disorders include the following:
People who experience depression may display changes in mood, diet or sleeping patterns while individuals with bipolar disorder may be depressed at one time and manic shortly thereafter. The causes of mood disorders are many. For example Beck (1967) theorizes that mood disorders are caused by negative thoughts that shape the individuals experiences while Bradley (1996) maintains they are caused by self-defeating thoughts and negative expectations about the future.
Mood disorders are psychiatric illnesses characterized by dysfunctional mood patterns. People suffering from mood disorders may have any number of ailments, including depression, bipolar disorder, or, some researchers are concluding, borderline personality disorder. These disorders are perceived by the public as mental health issues that must somehow be brought on by a weakness in the individual, but are in fact, as biological as heart disease or a birth defect.
- A founder of psychiatric diagnoses, Emil Kraepelin, reported mood disorder in children when he published "Manic-Depressive Insanity and Paranoia," in 1921.
- In the 1930's, Freudian psychoanalytic theory took a stronghold on the United States, and eliminated the possibility, in the minds of the psychoanalysts, that mood disorders could exist in children.
- It wasn't until 1975 during the National Institute Mental Health Conference on Depression in Childhood that depression was acknowledged as an issue in children's mental health.
The issue of mania was still untouched, until a study in 1960, by E. James Anthony and Peter Scott described manic-depression in children. Unfortunately, these researchers set criteria for the illness that were so stringent that no cases actually fit their definition. For instance, one criteria was that mania did not exist unless it was so severe that inpatient treatment, heavy sedation, or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was warranted. The Papalos' explain that, "they went even further: they reviewed the literature of reported cases of mania in children between the years 1884 and 1954, and, applying their criteria, they uncovered only twenty-eight cases of alleged manic-depression in young children". This single study dealt a heavy blow to the chances of suffering children receiving a correct diagnosis.
Related Research Paper Topic Suggestions
Dorothea Dix - Dorothea Dix Research Papers look at the way this woman's perceptions of the treatment of the mentally ill changed the world's view.
His Bright Light The Story of Nick Traina - His Bright Light: The Story of Nick Traina Research Papers delve into story of a young man with a mental illness, and the impact it had on those who love him.
History of Psychiatry - History of Psychiatry Research Papers discuss how the medical practices of psychiatry has evolved since 1808.
Hypochondria - Hypochondria research papers look at the mysterious mental illness that has been around since the 2nd Century. APA Style Research is common from Paper Masters, especially by our writers in the Mental Health Field.
Hypochondriasis - Hypochondriasis Research Papers explore the mental illness and describes it as both a disorder and symptom.
Mental Health Disorders - Research papers discuss mental health disorders and look into the common types of disorders such as anxiety disorders, mood disorders, eating disorders, personality disorders, OCD, and PTSD.
Mental Illness - Mental Illness research papers examine the behavioral patterns that cause suffering and an inability to function in ordinary life.
Mental Illness and The Brain - Mental Illness and the Brain Research Papers research the malfunctions in the brain. Research often discusses dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine when looking at mental illness.
My Sisters Keeper - My Sister's Keeper Research Papers discuss a book written by Margaret Moorman about her life in dealing with her mentally ill sister later on in life.
Psychiatric Disorders - Psychiatric Disorders research papers look into the anomalies in behavior of the mental processes that impair a person’s ability to function in life.
Psychiatric Illness - Psychiatric Illness research papers discuss how mental disorders manifest in a person's inability to function normally.
Stigma of Mental Illness - Stigma of Mental Illness research papers discuss the stigma and negative views that many people in society impose upon those with a mental disease.
Virginia Woolf Mental Illness - Virginia Woolf Mental Illness term papers examine the English writer, Virginia Woolf, who was plagued with mental illness throughout her life.