Mood Disorders Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example

Mood Disorders Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example

Mood disorders are a broad classification of mental health problems that affect an individual’s emotional state and broadly refer to depressive and bipolar disorders. Affected individuals experience dilapidating behavioral and emotional disturbances, affecting a child’s social, academic, and interpersonal relationships resulting from extreme sadness, happiness, or both (Sulley, Ndanga, & Mensah, 2021). In children, mood disorders are challenging to diagnose because children are consistently unable to express their feelings and present symptoms that differ from adults. (Mood Disorders Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

Signs and Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of mood disorders in children and adolescents differ depending on age and type. The common symptoms of mood disorders include sadness, hopelessness, low self-esteem, worthlessness, guilt, suicide ideation, helplessness, loss of appetite, and social seclusion (APA, 2013). Other common symptoms include sleep disturbances, fatigue, inability to concentrate, inability to make decisions, loss of interest in activities, irritability, aggression, sensitivity to rejection/failure, and physical effects such as headaches or stomachache. While healthy individuals can experience these symptoms, the diagnostic criterion emphasizes the intensity and persistent symptomology for those diagnosed with mood disorders. (Mood Disorders Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

Treatment Aspects

The type of disorder and the presenting symptoms guides treatment plans for pediatric/adolescent mood disorders. Equally, definitive diagnosis is crucial for proper treatment intervention. Treatment may include the use of antidepressants/mood stabilizers/antipsychotics, psychotherapy, family therapy, or a combination of these interventions. Antidepressants recommended for pediatric use include citalopram, sertraline, escitalopram, and fluoxetine (Dwyer & Bloch, 2019). Mood stabilizers such as valproic acid, lamotrigine, carbamazepine, and oxcarbazepine are recommended for pediatric use (AACAP, 2017). (Mood Disorders Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

Furthermore, antipsychotic medications such as chlorpromazine, thioridazine, fluphenazine, risperidone, olanzapine, or paliperidone are recommended mood stabilizers (AACAP, 2017). Psychotherapy/talk therapy, including cognitive, interpersonal, or problem-solving therapies, is recommended for pediatric/adolescent depression or mood disorders. Other recommended therapies include family, brain stimulation, and light therapies. (Mood Disorders Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)