Sometimes there are times when, for no reason, a good mood disappears, giving way to anxiety or despondency, and after a while returns again. Such mood swings can bring trouble not only to you, but also to others.
It is worth clarifying that we will talk about instant mood swings. In practice, people incorrectly use this term in relation to situations when the mood changes naturally under the influence of some external factor. This is an absolutely normal reaction, and it affects all people to varying degrees, depending on the nature or temperament. Another thing is when, out of the blue, good mood is replaced by anxiety, and depression is replaced by hysterical laughter.
Mood swings that occur regularly can be signs of serious mental illness. First of all, this bipolar affective disorder (commonly called manic-depressive psychosis in Soviet psychiatry) is a condition in which a depressed and aggressive (manic) phase of behavior often and unreasonably changes. There is a milder form, cyclothymia - in it the transitions from one phase to another are milder and do not reach such extremes. If suicidal thoughts begin to arise in a person in the depressive phase, and in the aggressive phase he can sometimes rush to people for no reason - this is a sure sign to turn to a psychotherapist for help.
In some cases, mood swings may indicate diseases of the thyroid gland, liver, heart, or even some types of cancer, so it will be useful to be safe and visit the appropriate doctors again.
The causes of mood swings can be internal (endogenous) and external (exogenous). Internal changes include the level of hormones and neurotransmitters in the body. The reasons for this can be very different: side effects of diets and hormonal drugs, ecology, lack of sleep, vitamin deficiency and even heredity. In women, pregnancy and menopause are added to them, and in men, a decrease in testosterone levels. External factors include moral exhaustion at work, problems in personal life, at work or in communication with parents, addiction to alcohol, drugs or gambling.
The role of endogenous factors is established by analysis, and exogenous - in the course of communication with the therapist.
The internal causes of mood swings in most cases are leveled by the medication prescribed by the doctor. In addition, it is worth taking vitamins and herbs.
In the case of external causes, an important role is played by human self-control. If differences are infrequent and do not have serious consequences, you can try to deal with them yourself: analyze the situation, try to drive away bad thoughts from yourself. If it comes to the alternation of obvious depression and breakdowns on other people, it makes sense to take a short vacation, which can be devoted to outdoor recreation, sports, yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, and just getting enough sleep does not hurt. Sometimes in practice there are situations when there are both internal and external causes. In such cases, the doctor usually prescribes complex therapy.