The Link with Mental Health and Mood Lability
In recent years, mental health has come to the forefront of public discussion and for good reason too. Throughout human history people have suffered with conditions like depression, anxiety and stress yet it seems like only now are we beginning to appreciate the severity of these conditions, and openly talk about them. Mood swings are a common side effect of dealing with mental health issues, so understanding the basis and basics of mental health is helpful in understanding the causes of mood swings.
A mental health condition that is often closely associated with mood swings is bipolar disorder, but people who suffer with depression and BPD – Borderline Personality Disorder – can also experience mood swings. If you don’t know what bipolar disorder is, it is a mental health condition that causes huge changes in mood and temperament from dizzying highs, to terrifying lows and vice versa. When you’re feeling a positive high, you can feel new motivation for tasks and jobs, have excessive amounts of energy that doesn’t seem to wear off, and be very talkative and social. However, in the lows, that can be classed as depression depending on the severity, you can experience the opposite. You can have feelings of incredible sadness and uselessness, be less motivated and energetic, and in the worst-case scenarios, have thoughts and even attempts at suicide. This is an unbelievably difficult condition to deal with, and that’s why it’s important to understand and learn about the ways in which it can potentially be overcome. When people experience these rapid, frequent changes in mood and temperament, it can be referred to as ‘Mood Lability’.
Mood lability is when someone shows evidence of destructive, anti-social, or harmful behaviours. an intense or quickly shifting emotional response that is way out of proportion to the situation. This can range anywhere from throwing a tantrum to self-harm. It’s a very serious condition, that can wildly change people’s work, social, family and romantic relationships, as it can damage the core of a relationship. We mentioned Borderline Personality Disorder, and mood lability tends to have a severe effect on people who suffer from BPD however other conditions can be affected too. The main difference between BPD and bipolar is that whilst people with bipolar may experience feelings of mania and depression, which can be recurring, BPD is shorter; however, it can be more considered more aggressive to others given the relationship it has with mood lability. The ways in which people can show the destructive and harmful behaviours, and potentially highlight a need for a diagnosis are evident with numerous symptoms including:
ANGER – A common, and arguably the most recognisable symptom is anger. People who potentially suffer from BPD may have intense bursts of anger and rage which can either be unjustified or unexplained.
EMOTIONAL LABILITY – A very close link to mood lability, emotional lability highlights mood swings, whether seemingly triggered or not.
FRAGILITY – Some sufferers of Borderline Personality Disorder may experience feelings of fragility and insecurity. They might possess feelings of abandonment and isolation and try desperately to avoid this, however in doing so, push people away, and isolate themselves further.
AUTOMATED RESPONSES – Impulsiveness, and the desire to act upon either suggestions or actions could lead to severe consequences as they may enact on these ideas or actions without forethought.
Mental health is a serious contributor to mood swings and the effects that they can have on people’s lives, relationships and careers. So, the more you understand, the better prepared you can be. However, they are not the only potential causes of mood swings.