If you’re concerned about how your moods impact you, the people around you, or your daily functioning, we’re here to help.
Find out more about mood problems, what might be causing them, and how we can help.
Moods are destined to have highs and lows throughout life, sometimes predictable because of outside situations and sometimes less so because of internal factors. We understand the distress of feeling your moods are especially unpredictable or seem to only ever be low, though. If you’re concerned about how your moods impact you, the people around you, or your daily functioning, we’re here to help.
When you have persistent low moods, even when there’s no obvious reason, it can be extremely hard to understand. Perhaps you don’t seem to find enjoyment in anything that previously made you happy. Sometimes we know the reason for a low mood, such as grief, but find ourselves unable to function properly or manage it. Sometimes it’s not always feeling low, but finding that your moods change rapidly and dramatically, making relationships or daily routines difficult.
What do mood problems look like?
Mood problems can present very differently to different people. Mood problems would be defined as an ongoing, persistent shift from a ‘normal’ pattern of moods to an especially low or less predictable pattern.
If you usually experience a normal range of emotion but find yourself experiencing more intense highs or lows or find yourself stuck in one mood for a long time, you may be experiencing problems with mood.
Signs of a mood problem may include:
Extreme mood swings: Rapid and intense changes in feelings such as elation, anger, irritability, sadness, or indifference.
Emotional outbursts: Feeling unable to calm yourself down, leading to shouting, crying, or aggressive behaviour.
Extreme lows: Continuous low mood or intense sadness that doesn’t seem to go away for extended periods.
Emotional numbness: An inability to engage with things that previously made you happy.
Extreme highs: Extended periods of excessively high mood that impacts decision making, sleep patterns, or engagement with harmful behaviours such as gambling, spending more money than you usually would, etc.