Emotional roller coaster
Health Psychology

Overview: Emotional roller coaster

The emotional roller coaster is a situation, where a person feels sad/overjoyed. It is common to feel have these. But if mood swings hinder you from daily activities, it’s unhealthy.

Frequent & severe mood swings, call for a visit to a doctor. The causes, effects, and mental conditions associated with this are discussed below.

Emotional roller coaster – Causes:

Few noteworthy causes can be linked to mental health, hormones, drugs, or other ailments. Body rhythms make many feel active around noon. But they have negative feelings during the evening.

Lifestyle changes help moderate mood swings. Figuring out the cause is key.

Stress & Anxiety

This is caused by daily events. And if you’re sensitive, you’ll respond more strongly than other people. Stressed people often complain about sleeplessness. Some feel nervous, scared, and worried without any reason.

If a person has difficulty managing their worries,  they’ll be diagnosed with a generalized anxiety disorder. and If insomnia continues for the past 6 months they’re diagnosed and in case if the symptoms are serious, getting through the day is impossible.

Bipolar Disorder

People with this have severe, long-lasting mood swings.

For example, it’s normal to feel great, like everything’s going your way, for a day or two. Someone with bipolar disorder, though, can spend several days or weeks in the life of the party: racing around, talking fast, not sleeping much, and doing destructive things like running through the family’s bank account. That’s called a manic phase. They could possibly hear voices, too.

Similarly, it’s not uncommon to have trouble getting out of bed to go to a job you don’t like. But someone with bipolar disorder may stay in bed for 4 days and lose that job. They may feel unmotivated, sad, or even suicidal.  That is called the depressed phase.

Depression

Someone who is depressed may have mood swings, too. They’ll have their lows, then feel OK, but they won’t get the manic highs that someone with bipolar disorder would. Depressed people may feel worse in the morning and become more cheerful later in the day.

If you’ve been feeling sad, drained, restless, or hopeless for more than 2 weeks, it’s time to call your doctor.

Borderline Personality Disorder

A characteristic of this mental illness is sudden, intense shifts in the mood — such as anxious to angry, or depressed to anxious — usually without the extreme highs seen in bipolar disorder. These are often “triggered” by what seem like ordinary interactions with other people. Someone with a borderline personality disorder doesn’t deal well with stress. They may want to harm themselves when they feel very unsettled or upset.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Mood swings, a hot temper, and easily getting frustrated can sometimes be symptoms of ADHD in adults. If you have it, you’re probably also restless, impulsive, and unable to focus.

Hormonal Changes

Sex hormones are tied to your emotions, so changes in your hormone levels can lead to mood swings. It’s no surprise that teenagers are often described as “moody.”

For women, PMS, pregnancy, menopause (the year after your last period), and perimenopause (the years before it) can lead to unpredictable moods.

Men’s hormones tend to stay pretty stable until age 30 when testosterone begins to gradually decline. About a third of men age 75 and older have low levels of testosterone. That can cause mood swings, along with erectile dysfunction, sleep problems, and, yes, hot flashes.

What conditions are tied to severe shifts in the mood?

In many cases, shifts in mood are a symptom of a more serious health issue. They can occur due to mental health conditions, hormonal changes, or substance use problems, among other things.

Mental health conditions

Many mental health conditions can cause severe shifts in mood. They’re often referred to as mood disorders. They include the following:

  • Bipolar disorder. If you have bipolar disorder, your emotions range from extremely happy to extremely sad. But changes in mood associated with bipolar disorder generally only occur a few times a year, even in rapid-cycling bipolar disorder.
  • Cyclothymic disorder. Cyclothymic disorder, or cyclothymia, is a mild mood disorder similar to bipolar II disorder. In it, you have emotions that go up and down but are less severe than those associated with bipolar disorder.
  • Major depressive disorder (MDD). In MDD, you experience extreme sadness for a long period of time. MDD is also sometimes called clinical depression.
  • Dysthymia, now called persistent depressive disorder (PDD) is a chronic form of depression.
  • Personality disorders. In certain personality disorders, you may experience rapid changes in mood in a relatively short period of time.
  • Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD). DMDDis typically only diagnosed in children. In it, your child has outbursts that aren’t on target with their developmental stage.

You may also experience extreme changes in the mood if you have other mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Your child’s doctor will be able to evaluate your child and help you determine an appropriate treatment plan.

All mental health conditions are manageable with a number of or combinations of medications, lifestyle changes, and psychotherapy.

How are shifts in mood treated?

If you’re experiencing severe shifts in mood, or mood changes that cause extreme disruption in typical behavior, you should talk to your doctor. They can help you determine the causes of your shifts in mood and help you find appropriate treatment. You may need professional therapy or medications to relieve these life-altering shifts in mood. Simple lifestyle changes may also help, too.

If your ups and downs aren’t affecting other aspects of your life negatively, you may be able to work through your shifts in the mood without medical attention. You might be able to regulate your moods if you do the following:

  • Keep a schedule. Try to create a routine for yourself, especially when it comes to eating and sleeping.
  • Exercise regularly. Exercising regularly has numerous benefits for nearly all aspects of your health, including mood.
  • Get sufficient sleep. A good night’s sleep is important, and sleep deprivation can affect your mood.
  • Eat a healthy diet. A balanced, healthy diet can improve your mood and keep you healthy. 
  • Practice relaxation. Engage in calming practices like yoga or meditation.
  • Avoid stress. Easier said than done, right? If you can’t avoid it, aim to manage and relieve stress as it comes.
  • Express yourself. Find a creative outlet to express yourself.
  • Talk it out. Find someone to talk to, such as a friend, family member, or professional counselor.

Conclusion :

Keeping a journal to record your significant shifts in mood might also help you determine the reasons you experience them. Look for patterns and try to avoid situations or activities that directly impact your mood. Sharing the mood journal with your doctor can also help with your diagnosis.

 

 

Subin Joshua
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Author: Hi there, my name is Subin Joshua, and I am a Medical student. I grew up in a family of teachers and know that being a social worker is my calling. My passion for helping others has been evident in my involvement in helping the poor and needy for the last three years. Through those experiences, I have learned to interact with a diverse group of people, which has increased my ability to relate to others.