Mood Swings: Mental Health Issue or Something Else?

Mood swings, mood instability, mood lability; whatever you want to call it, can be frustrating and difficult. When your mood is unpredictable, it can interfere with relationships, work, school, and your leisure activities. Situations you normally handle with ease can feel exhausting and overwhelming. Further, the causes of mood swings can seem like a mystery, and that uncertainty can be discouraging. That said, don't lose hope: it's usually possible to find the underlying causes of mood swings, and those underlying causes can usually be treated.

Understanding Mood Swings

It's important to recognize that mood swings are much more than just your being sensitive. They're significant, uncontrollable changes in mood that can impact your day-to-day life and are often signs of a larger issue. There's a harmful stereotype that mood swings only affect women, but the truth is they can happen to anyone. There are many causes of mood swings, including medical conditions, life circumstances, sleep problems, and psychiatric conditions. If your mood has been unpredictable recently, take the time to learn more about the medical and mental health conditions that can be causes of mood swings. This way, you can better understand your symptoms and find a treatment that helps you feel more balanced.

Identifying Common Causes of Mood 

Mood swings can be an important sign of a possible medical or mental health condition. While it is normal to have some good and bad days or some degree of mood variation, if the frequency and severity are creating problems for you, it is important to receive an evaluation from a medical provider. Your mind and body may be trying to tell you something about your health.

The following are some of the most common underlying causes of mood swings:

There are several medical conditions than may be causes of mood swings. Patients with thyroid disease, particularly overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) may find themselves having periods of anxiety or rage that can seem unpredictable and not related to the environment. Alterations in blood sugar levels, particularly lower blood sugar, can cause anxiety and irritability. Alterations in your body's hormone levels can also be associated with causes of mood swings. In fact, the list of conditions associated with mood swings, including dementia, is very extensive and a good place to start for help is with your primary care provider, especially if these symptoms are relatively new.

Head Injury

Head injuries, even minor concussions, can another of the causes of mood swings. We know that even though a brain MRI might be normal, head injury can be associated with disruption in the architecture of nerves, which interferes with their function and changes the way nerves communicate with each other in the brain. This can lead to a loss of mood control and unpredictable mood changes. There are treatments available so if you have noticed mood problems after a head injury, it is important to seek medical help.

Stress

Worries, frustrations, an unhappiness can strain our reserves. As we become overwhelmed, we may find our tolerance starts to decline and those emotions can start to leak into other situations as mood swings. Managing stress can be key to keeping this under control. While these kinds of reactions can be normal, if the severity and frequency of mood swings becomes problematic, a therapist may be able to help you with sustaining perspective and incorporating strategies for managing stress.

Sleep Deprivation and Sleep Disorders

Our brains are very active during sleep, consolidating memories and resetting metabolic states during different stages of sleep. When we can't complete all the stages of sleep because of frequent awakenings, a sleep disorder disrupting your natural sleep stages, or inadequate sleep preventing all stages of sleep from completing, then our brains function less efficiently and this can cause mood swings. Sometimes sleep apnea or another sleep disorder can only be confirmed with a formal sleep study. If you find you have persistent difficulty with sleep or if you feel your sleep is not restful, consider reaching out to your physician for evaluation.   

Substance Use

Alcohol or illicit drug use can cause mood swings through various mechanisms. Intoxication can alter brain function and decrease the efficiency of thinking, resulting in uncontrolled moods. Withdrawal can also cause abnormalities in brain function and physical discomfort. Addiction and drug seeking behaviors may impair being mentally present and result in moods that are not reflective of life events. Long standing substance use can damage areas of the brain leading to emotional leakage. All of these can be causes of mood swings.

Personality

Some people have more dynamic personalities and shift moods more easily or quickly than others. For some people, this is a harmless personality quirk. For others, it can be problematic and interfere with work, school, or relationships. If that’s the case, therapy may be useful. 

Psychiatric Conditions

Some psychiatric conditions can have mood swings as a component. These can include anxiety (catastrophic thinking leading to distress and irritability) and PTSD (hypervigilance causing unpredictable anxiety and irritability). Note that while it’s common to refer to the cycling of moods in bipolar disorder as “mood swings,” rapid cycling bipolar patients have at least four mood episodes in a year, each lasting days to weeks on end. This is different than the typical hour-by-hour mood fluctuation of the mood swings outlined in this article. If you think your mood swings may be caused by a psychiatric condition, a mental health provider can help you with diagnosis and treatment suggestions.

Getting Treatment for Mood Swings

If mood swings are taking you for a bumpy ride, remember you have options. Contact your doctor to discuss your symptoms and keep searching for a treatment that helps. If past treatments for mental health conditions such as depression haven't worked, consider looking into transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy. TMS stimulates areas of the brain involved in mood regulation—the same areas known to be underactive in those with depression. No matter what causes your mood swings, you deserve to find a treatment that works for you.