affective disorder

affective disorder
any mental disorder, as depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, or cyclothymia, in which a major disturbance of feelings or emotions is predominant.

* * *

Mental disorder characterized by dramatic changes or extremes of mood.

Affective disorders may include manic or depressive episodes less severe than those of bipolar disorder. Symptoms include elevated, expansive, or irritable mood, with hyperactivity, pressured speech, and inflated self-esteem; and/or dejected mood, with lack of interest in life, sleep disturbances, agitation, and feelings of worthlessness or guilt.

* * *

      mental disorder characterized by dramatic changes or extremes of mood. Affective disorders may include manic (elevated, expansive, or irritable mood with hyperactivity, pressured speech, and inflated self-esteem) or depressive (dejected mood with disinterest in life, sleep disturbance, agitation, and feelings of worthlessness or guilt) episodes, and often combinations of the two. Persons with an affective disorder may or may not have psychotic symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, or other loss of contact with reality.

      In manic-depressive disorders (bipolar disorder), periods of mania and depression may alternate with abrupt onsets and recoveries. Depression is the more common symptom, and many patients never develop a genuine manic phase, although they may experience a brief period of overoptimism and mild euphoria while recovering from a depression. The most extreme manifestation of mania is violence against others, while that of depression is suicide. Statistical studies have suggested a hereditary predisposition to the disorder, which commonly appears for the first time in young adults.

      Manic-depressive disorders were described in antiquity by the 2nd-century Greek physician Aretaeus Of Cappadocia and in modern times by the German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin. The current term is derived from folie maniaco-mélancholique, which was introduced in the 17th century. See also manic-depressive psychosis (bipolar disorder).

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • affective disorder — n MOOD DISORDER * * * any psychiatric disorder featuring abnormalities of mood or emotion (affect). The most serious of these are depression and mania. Other affective disorders include SADS (seasonal affective disorder syndrome) …   Medical dictionary

  • affective disorder — noun any mental disorder not caused by detectable organic abnormalities of the brain and in which a major disturbance of emotions is predominant • Syn: ↑major affective disorder, ↑emotional disorder, ↑emotional disturbance • Hypernyms: ↑mental… …   Useful english dictionary

  • affective disorder — mood disorder any psychiatric disorder featuring abnormalities of mood or emotion (affect). The most serious of these are depression and mania. Other affective disorders include SAD (seasonal affective disorder) …   The new mediacal dictionary

  • affective disorder — noun Date: 1937 mood disorder …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Seasonal affective disorder — Infobox Disease Name = PAGENAME Caption = Light therapy lamp for Seasonal Affective Disorder DiseasesDB = 11910 ICD10 = ICD9 = ICDO = OMIM = MedlinePlus = 001532 eMedicineSubj = eMedicineTopic = MeshID = D016574 Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) …   Wikipedia

  • major affective disorder — noun any mental disorder not caused by detectable organic abnormalities of the brain and in which a major disturbance of emotions is predominant • Syn: ↑affective disorder, ↑emotional disorder, ↑emotional disturbance • Hypernyms: ↑mental disorder …   Useful english dictionary

  • seasonal affective disorder — seasonal affective disorder, n. A form of mild depression that occurs in winters, associated with reduction in the amount of sunlight. It is characterized by oversleeping, irritability, and sometimes overeating. It can be treated by light therapy …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • SAD (seasonal affective disorder) — Depression that tends to occur (and recur) as the days grow shorter in the fall and winter. It is believed that affected persons react adversely to the decreasing amounts of light and the colder temperatures as the fall and winter progress.… …   Medical dictionary

  • Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) — Depression that tends to occur (and recur) as the days grow shorter in the fall and winter. It is believed that affected persons react adversely to the decreasing amounts of light and the colder temperatures as the fall and winter progress.… …   Medical dictionary

  • seasonal affective disorder — sea·son·al affective disorder .sēz ən əl n depression that tends to recur as the days grow shorter during the fall and winter abbr. SAD * * * (SAD) a cyclically recurring mood disorder characterized by depression, extreme lethargy, increased need …   Medical dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”