1 in 4 people is impacted by mental health disorders.

One of the most common mental health disorders is mood disorders. Mood disorders can take on many forms and exhibit different symptoms, depending on the type of disorder and the severity in a person. Keep reading to learn more about the causes of mood disorders.

3 Causes of Mood Disorders

A mood disorder is a term that’s used to describe depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.

Mood disorders can impact people of all ages and present varying symptoms. Here’s what can cause mood disorders:

1. Imbalance of Brain Chemicals

The most common reason for mood disorders is an imbalance of chemicals in the brain.

By imbalance, we mean that the neurotransmitters in the brain are out of balance. Neurotransmitters are the chemicals responsible for controlling the brain’s functions. The three neurotransmitters that contribute to mood disorders are noradrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine.

Each of these neurotransmitters serves a different function within the brain. For example, dopamine relates to memory, learning, and coordination, and the brain releases dopamine during activities that are pleasurable.

Serotonin helps regulate mood. It impacts your appetite, clotting of the blood, and your body’s natural rhythm. Serotonin plays a huge role in depression and anxiety because lower levels of serotonin will cause you to feel sad or depressed.

Noradrenaline impacts the body’s fight or flight response.

All of these neurotransmitters impact our mood as well as how we react to a certain mood. An imbalance in the neurotransmitters can cause unpredictable behavior, depression, or manic moods.

Umbrella Scientific offers a solution for many of the symptoms caused by an imbalance in the neurotransmitters.

2. Trauma

Many believe that trauma has an impact on mood disorders.

Anxiety and depression often come from past trauma that is still manifesting in the brain. Causes of anxiety from trauma can include:

• Childhood abuse (sexual, physical, or emotional)
• Loss of a loved one
• Witnessing difficult events, for example, the death of another person
• Chronic stress

Anything that left a large negative impact on you as a child or in recent years is thought to be a factor in depression and anxiety. If someone has bipolar disorder as a result of chemical imbalances in the brain, trauma can make the symptoms worse as well.

3. Triggers from Past Trauma

Just as the trauma itself can make mood disorders worse, experiencing a trigger from past trauma can cause episodes.

For example, if you witness the death of a loved one, you may have similar feelings to another traumatic loss from many years ago. This trigger from past trauma may cause a depressive episode or a bipolar episode.

Another common trigger for people who have been abused is witnessing abuse or talking about it.

What Causes Mental Illness?

While it’s hard to pinpoint the causes of mood disorders, there are many factors that can contribute to them.

We know that the balance of the chemicals in the brain plays a large part in the diagnosis of mood disorders. Also, trauma or triggers for past trauma can cause episodes or feelings to escalate.

If you found this post helpful, check out our other health content!