Mood swings can have various causes, just like most other symptoms. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.
Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose mood swings, we could:
Cause | Probability | Status |
---|---|---|
Depression | 98% | Confirm |
Diabetes II | 25% | Unlikely |
Bipolar Disorder | 2% | Ruled out |
ADHD | 0% | Ruled out |
Do you suffer from mood swings, alternating from feeling overly happy/excited/irritable to sad/hopeless/depressed, then back again for no reason? There may be periods of 'normal' mood in between; moods can last minutes, hours, days, weeks or even months.
Possible responses:
→ Don't know→ No, my mood only changes if there is a good reason → Yes, occasional mood swings, barely noticeable → Yes, there is a definite pattern of mood swings → Yes, I have regular extreme mood swings |
Bipolar disorder is characterized by intense mood swings between mania and depression. This mania is often very uncomfortable and associated with intense irritability.
Diabetic mood swings can be caused by fluctuating blood glucose levels, or simply the frustration of dealing with the disease.