Mood swings in men: causes. What are the causes of mood swings in men, women or children?

First of all, it’s worth analyzing how often you experience mood swings and what triggers them. If sudden changes in mood are the norm for you and you constantly react in this way to the events happening around you, then most likely you are simply overly emotional and composure is not typical for you.

If frequent mood swings were previously unusual for you, you should pay closer attention to them. Make an appointment with a therapist, describe the situation, get the necessary tests; sometimes such mood swings can be caused by problems with the thyroid gland or neurological disorders. In cases where mood swings occur due to your psychological problems, internal dissatisfaction with life, etc., you should contact an experienced psychologist.

But, in addition to medical help, you can do something yourself to normalize your emotional state. So, to stabilize your mood, the first thing you need to do is maintain the correct daily routine with sufficient time for rest, including psycho-emotional rest. If you have a sedentary job, be sure to take short breaks, ventilate the room more often, and do not forget about physical education.

In addition to regular physical education, sign up for a fitness section or a swimming pool, visit a gym - sport is a kind of release for overly stressed people. In addition, during physical activity, joy hormones are produced.

Long walks in the fresh air are an excellent way to strengthen the nervous system and normalize mood. Make sure that your route passes through green areas, away from busy highways and hazardous industries.

Sign up for a massage course, if there are no medical contraindications, visit a bathhouse or sauna, or at least take a contrast shower at home, harden yourself. All these procedures help strengthen the nervous system.

To ensure stable functioning of the nervous system, your sleep must be complete. Its duration may vary depending on the individual characteristics of your body, but should not be less than 7 hours.

Make sure your diet is balanced and contains enough magnesium and calcium - minerals responsible for the normal functioning of the nervous system. They are rich in cereals, lentils and beans, rice bran, dairy products, dark chocolate, basil, sage, coriander, dark green leafy vegetables: spinach, chard, beet leaves, cabbage, etc.

Sometimes pamper yourself, allow yourself what you really want. Do not sit on strict diets for a long time, do not exhaust your body with excessive work and psychological stress. Remember that you won’t earn all the money anyway.

Actively communicate with friends, attend parties and events where you can escape from pressing problems, unwind and relax. Find yourself an interesting hobby that gives you real pleasure.

Don’t demand too much from yourself and others, remember that you and they are just people who have the right to weaknesses and mistakes.

Experiencing and expressing emotions - being happy, upset, angry - is common to all people, regardless of gender, age and personal characteristics. If a person experiences emotional instability, which manifests itself in mood swings regardless of the circumstances, this disrupts the normal course of life. Relationships within the family, among friends, at work deteriorate. If a person notices that a positive attitude is suddenly replaced by a feeling of depression, and then vice versa, if such changes become more frequent and occur without objective reasons, if they are accompanied by physiological symptoms, it is time to consult a doctor to identify their cause.

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Mood and its changes

Mood tends to change depending on the situation, since all emotions are temporary. Mood is a rather long-term emotional process that strives for stability. In a state of happiness or joy, a person does not notice the negative. And when he is sad or depressed, there is little to distract or interest him. Due to its duration, the mood does not have high intensity. It is a kind of general emotional background against which more intense mental processes take place.

The transition from a positive attitude to sadness, depression, rage, or vice versa is natural if objective circumstances exist for this (I walked down the street sad - I found money - I was happy). Sharp changes in mood are characteristic of many people as a property of choleric temperament (I enthusiastically explained to my colleagues the essence of a new project - met with misunderstanding - got angry, slammed the door and left).

When changes become unnaturally frequent and each state is short-lived, the disease is called a mood disorder. Its main symptom is a change of state when in a few minutes a person feels a range of emotions from the positive pole to the negative.

The danger of mood swings is that a person goes to extremes, and at the moment of strong emotion, consciousness can completely turn off. A person behaves inappropriately, not realizing where he is and how to act.

In addition to changes in emotional state several times a day, symptoms of affective disorder are more related to negative manifestations:

irritability, a tendency to judge, attacks of aggression literally “out of nowhere” (unevenly placed folders on a shelf, accidentally pushed by a passerby);
jealousy, suspicion, anxiety (the belief that people will definitely be robbed in transport, etc.);
memory problems, problems with concentration (constantly searching for the right things - keys, pens, mobile phone);
unpredictability, inappropriate behavior (unmotivated grievances, starting quarrels and squabbles in the family, at work);
feeling of sadness from despondency to complete hopelessness, depression;
the desire to isolate yourself from society and friends;
apathetic or passive attitude towards life;
suicidal thoughts.

Emotional disorders can be provoked by personal characteristics, a person’s established way of life and thoughts, and his age. Suspicion and suspiciousness as character traits, increased anxiety lead to the inability to build constructive relationships. Such a person will, voluntarily or unwittingly, create conflict situations rather than resolve them. Constantly being in this state deprives a person of emotional stability and weakens the nervous system.

Causes of mood swings

Mood swings are common in men, women and children, especially during adolescence. To date, the factors behind the development of this phenomenon have not been fully elucidated. The main reasons for this condition can be psychological and physiological.

Psychological

A common cause of sudden changes in mood is emotional immaturity, which in an adult can be the result of a lack of upbringing. Emotionally immature people, like children, do not know how to get out of a conflict with dignity, without quarrels with others and tears. Family troubles, problems at work, dramatic changes in life affect the frequent changes in their mood, which they demonstrate in communication.

A state of constant anxiety, phobias, thoughts about the past with repeated experiences of failures and mistakes, fear of the future, which is seen in a negative light, tension from the expectation of some bad events leads to chronic neuroses and disorders of the emotional sphere.

Sharp changes in mood accompany alcohol, drug, gaming and other types of addictions. Alcohol, psychotropic drugs, satisfying obsessive needs (playing, communicating on social networks, smoking) significantly increase the level of the hormone dopamine, which causes a feeling of joy. Over time, the body begins to produce smaller quantities, and the person feels the need for an increasingly larger dose. The inability to receive it causes irritation and aggression.

In children, mood swings are a consequence of a lack of care, attention and love in the family. This is especially evident during periods of age-related crises - at 3 years and 6-7 years. Excessive control, prohibitions and excessive care, the desire to do everything for the child or, conversely, inflated demands cause rejection in the child in the form of stubbornness, uncontrollable behavior, and aggression.

Kids are sensitive to the tense situation in the family, conflicts between father and mother, brothers and sisters and relatives living together. Children who are used to getting their parents' attention by crying, misbehaving, or hysterical behavior often carry these behavior patterns into adulthood. Subsequently, such people suffer from complex emotional disorders, and, as it manifests, mood swings.

Physiological

There is a version that mood swings can be caused by an imbalance of signaling chemicals - hormones. A person has organs, the normal functioning of which ensures stability of mood and adequacy of emotional reactions. Failures in their work affect their emotional state.

Chemical imbalance in the body

The thyroid gland, part of the endocrine system, produces thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which affects the functioning of the cardiovascular, reproductive and digestive systems, regulating many mental functions. Excess TSH makes a person irritable, nervous, and hot-tempered. Insufficient concentration reduces the metabolic rate in the body, causing lethargy, weakness, and depression.

During puberty, at 11-15 years of age, a pubertal crisis occurs, when physical and physiological development proceeds with high intensity. Changes in muscle and vascular tone occur in the functioning of the cardiovascular system and cerebral blood supply. Sex hormones begin to influence the central nervous system of boys and girls, which leads to changes in the functioning of the autonomic nervous system: the threshold of excitability decreases. The slightest irritant, positive or negative, causes a sudden change in a teenager’s physical state, which manifests itself in excessive emotionality, irritability, and aggression.

Pre- and postmenstrual syndrome, pregnancy, breastfeeding and menopause can cause mood swings in women. During these periods, levels of the hormones serotonin and dopamine, which control emotions, fluctuate significantly. During menopause, levels of the female sex hormone estrogen decrease, which also affects mood. Unmotivated attacks of anger, hysteria, and tearfulness appear in behavior.

The condition is aggravated if a woman is dissatisfied with her appearance, has unsatisfied desires, and does not have a regular sex life. Chronic stress at work and tense family relationships increase the tendency to unstable behavior and mood.

Fluctuations in hormone levels in women depending on the phase of the menstrual cycle

When there are disorders of the cardiovascular system, such as tachycardia and hypertension, the production of adrenaline increases. This hormone prepares the body for an immediate physical response. In this regard, a person is overcome by a sudden attack of fear and anxiety.

Spasm of the biliary tract, which occasionally occurs with diseases of the liver and gallbladder, provokes the release of norepinephrine, which causes outbursts of anger without an objective reason. In diabetes, the patient experiences mood changes in accordance with their blood sugar levels, from cheerful and positive to negative.

Long-term use of medications, including contraceptives, can lead to chemical imbalances in the body.

Mental disorders

A fairly common cause of frequent mood swings is a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders. They can occur in people of any gender and age, regardless of social class. A mental disorder can be triggered by significant stress (from exams and job search to moving, serious illness, family tragedy).

For weather-dependent people, weather fluctuations cause changes in their physical and emotional state. Neuropsychiatric manifestations are observed with brain tumors, meningitis, encephalitis, and cardiovascular diseases.

Emotional disorders can be short-term and disappear without a trace after the end of internal or external influence. Sometimes they reach a critical degree and are expressed in the form of chronic neurosis, severe depression, etc.

Frequent mood swings accompany the following conditions:

Panic attacks are attacks of uncontrollable fear, panic without an objective reason, lasting from 5 to 30 minutes. The feeling of anxiety may persist for a longer period of time. Often accompanied by excessive sweating, rapid heartbeat, nausea, dizziness, hand tremors, etc.
Borderline state is a mental disorder in which an individual cannot adapt to life in society and is unable and unwilling to communicate.
Hysterical personality disorder - characterized by an obsessive need to receive attention by screaming, inappropriate laughter, crying, and inappropriate behavior.
Cyclothymia and bipolar disorder (manic-depressive psychosis) - the patient experiences rapid transitions from euphoria to extreme sadness.
Dysthymia (mild stage of depression) and depression.

The cause of emotional instability may be illness or pregnancy in women. If, along with mood swings, there are rapid weight changes (both loss and gain), disruption of the usual sleep and appetite cycle, menstrual irregularities in women, if shortness of breath, nausea and dizziness begin to bother you, hand tremors and other nervous tics appear, this is a reason to consult a doctor. Consultation with a therapist will be required; The diagnosis is made after visiting specialists: endocrinologist, cardiologist, gynecologist, psychotherapist.

Without medical intervention on the cause of frequent mood swings, volitional efforts and the advice of a psychologist will not bring results. Self-administration of sedatives and antidepressants can significantly harm your health.

Prevention and treatment

Prevention of emotional disorders is a healthy lifestyle, activity, normal sleep and diet, appropriate physical activity, walking or working in the fresh air. A good remedy is your favorite hobby, various techniques of meditation and auto-training, breathing exercises, and yoga. For many people, this helps restore their psycho-emotional background and overcome stress and troubles. If possible, you should consume food containing many vitamins and microelements.

Proper education from an early age is of great importance. Parents should pay sufficient attention to the emotional state of the child, at any age, treat him as an individual, respect his preferences and listen to his opinion.

In upbringing, it is necessary to be consistent, not to allow disordered actions of parents and other relatives (father and mother forbid drinking soda, but grandmother allows it). If this is practiced, the child will very quickly learn to be resourceful and will use all means to satisfy his whims. This has a negative impact on personal and mental development.

The period of puberty of a child is a time of special attention, patience and strong-willed efforts on the part of parents. It is necessary to try to treat the teenager as an adult, respect his right to choose friends, music, clothes, entertainment and other activities. Prohibitions and restrictions are clearly stated with reasons why they are necessary. Every effort should be made to build a trusting relationship with your son or daughter. Then there is a chance to go through a difficult period together with a teenager, and not on opposite sides of the barricade.

Sedatives, nootropic drugs, antidepressants, tranquilizers are potent medications. Some of them are addictive. It is unacceptable to start treatment with them on your own, on the advice of friends or because they have already helped once.

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The symptom is classified into three large groups (depressive and bipolar disorders, cyclothymia), each of which also has several varieties. Types of pathology are distinguished by origin, nature of the course, severity of symptoms and the presence of manic tendencies.

Cyclothymic mood swings

Affective mental disorders, which may contain symptoms of hypothymia (low mood) and hyperthymia (pathologically elevated mood).

Hypotymia occurs with the following symptoms:

low self-esteem;
apathy and indifference to everything;
memory and attention disorders;
sleep disorders;
irritability;
lack of motivation;
guilt, self-flagellation.

Signs of hyperthymia:

hyperactivity and energy;
short periods of sleep;
excessive excitability;
increased talkativeness;
performance disorders;
increased euphoria.

Depressive mood swings

They may appear temporarily or last for many years. They arise as a symptom of a chronic disease or appear as a reaction to stressful situations, medications, or surgery. There are different types of depression:

Clinical. A widespread disorder that is difficult to treat. Potent antidepressants are usually used in combination with other treatments.
Small. It has signs of a clinical form of pathology, but is amenable to restorative therapy. Lasts 1-3 weeks, with successful treatment it goes away without consequences.
Atypical. It is characterized by psycho-emotional disorders, as well as changes in appetite, sleep, behavior, and weight.
Postpartum. Occurs in women after childbirth. May appear regardless of emotional stability and character. Usually the shape is affected by hormonal imbalances in the body.
Dysthymia. A chronic form of the disorder that can last 1-3 years. It is expressed in a constantly bad mood, indifference, and low self-esteem.

Bipolar mood swings

Another name is manic-depressive psychosis. Characterized by frequent changes between depression and euphoria. The patient may laugh, then suddenly burst into tears. This form of the disease threatens serious mental disorders, including suicide or a threat to others. Often accompanied by alcoholism or drug addiction.

When faced with failure or experiencing loss, each of us grieves, feels sadness, and despair. But for some people, such conditions occur for no apparent reason and can last quite a long time, resulting in loss of interest in life, fatigue, and drowsiness. Their mood can change frequently, sometimes several times a day. “Sometimes the morning starts off well,” says 30-year-old Nina, “my heart is light, and suddenly gloominess comes from somewhere. Everything irritates me... and after a few minutes it goes away as if it never happened!”

Reality principle

A person with changeable moods is called a cyclothymic. “This instability manifests itself in emotions and behavior. Irritability, accelerated speech, agitation or excessive pessimism are replaced by opposite states throughout the day or week,” explains clinical psychologist Alexander Tkhostov. Cyclothymics have difficulty controlling themselves and tend to explode when faced with the slightest obstacle. A traffic jam or a washing machine breakdown is enough to make them angry. Such sensitivity indicates a person’s inability to tolerate frustration - an emotional state that arises if a situation gets out of his control. “These fickle adults are like children who do not yet know how to consider the principle of reality and exercise patience on the way to the desired goal,” adds clinical psychologist Gill-Eric Leininger-Molinier.

“It was as if two people lived inside me”

“I started having mood swings when I was 17. I woke up in a great mood, started crying at breakfast, was active during the day, and in the evening fell into apathy and did not understand the reasons for my condition at all. Since then, I have periodically experienced something similar, especially in the spring. By the age of 25, my friends called me hysterical, my colleagues considered me unbearable. I was afraid that everyone would turn their backs on me. I'm tired of feeling like there are two different people living inside me. I decided to consult a psychologist. Meetings with him at first were painful for me, but as a result I realized that my cyclothymia originated in childhood, when I was separated from my parents for a long time without explaining the reasons. Understanding this helped me regain control over my emotions.”

Childhood frustration

“Cyclothymia is facilitated by a situation in which in early childhood the mother alternately holds the child in excessive proximity (almost in symbiosis) and then pushes him away from herself,” notes Alexander Tkhostov. - As a result of fluctuations in her mood and behavior, it is difficult for the child to learn to tolerate frustration and become independent. There seems to be no middle ground in his psyche: he perceives everything that happens to him in polar terms - as absolute happiness or extreme misfortune.”

Denial of loss

Such changes are not only difficult for those around them, who do not know what to expect from a cyclothymic, but above all, they complicate life for him. “When my son doesn’t listen or my husband starts arguing, I often can’t control my emotions, and I don’t understand where they come from,” complains 43-year-old Zhanna. Don’t blame yourself: psychological trauma may be hidden behind such behavior. The death of significant people, separations, combined with a family ban on experiencing sadness and grief can lead to cyclothymia. If a child is considered “too sensitive” and called a crybaby for showing emotions, then as an adult he may experience periods of depressed mood accompanied by feelings of guilt.

What to do?

Step back. If you suddenly feel inexplicable melancholy or irritation out of nowhere, try to understand what caused it. Once you understand the cause of your frustration, assess how significant it is to you (on the scale of your entire life) - this will help you take control of your emotions.
Find an outlet for your emotions. Yoga, qigong, martial arts and breathing exercises will help you realize your own strengths and harmonize your body and soul. You will learn to remain calm, find inner balance and not lose your presence of mind. These practices free us from feelings of isolation and help us find contact with other people.
Accept yourself. The pressure to meet a rigid standard of success increases apathy and depression. By accepting yourself in any mood and developing inner independence from social rules, you can find strength and peace of mind.

If among your loved ones there is a person whose cheerfulness is replaced by periods of melancholy, try to be patient. Do not make the situation worse by expressing your anger or rejecting the cyclothymic person: he is already prone to self-flagellation, and any remark causes him pain. Keep dialogue open. Tell him about times when his behavior hurt you. It is important that he realizes that you are not to blame for the obstacles he faces, so he is interested in identifying the true reasons for his behavior.

Both men and women experience mood swings, but women are more sensitive to mood swings. They manifest themselves as the expression of several opposing emotions in a short period of time.

For example, a woman may be upset and then suddenly angry, happy and then depressed all of a sudden, for no specific reason. Frequencies of mood swings may vary. If they become severe, they can cause other mental disorders and problems.

Causes of mood swings in women

Below are some of the causes of mood swings in women. Hormones One of the main reasons for mood swings in women. Hormonal changes and changes that occur during or before the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause cause mood swings. Teenage girls are prone to mood swings during puberty. Mood swings are often associated with premenstrual syndrome because most women experience mood swings during this time. Stress The need to combine family and work, child care, etc. often lead to stress in women and depression, which is accompanied by mood swings. Stress can also be caused by failed relationships, living with and caring for elderly parents, family problems, problems with children. Chemical imbalance The brain produces chemicals known as neurotransmitters. They are responsible for numerous emotions such as fear, depression and happiness. If a chemical imbalance occurs in substances such as dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, mood swings and other problems begin.

Treatment of mood swings in women

Lifestyle change A healthy lifestyle is important to treat mood swings. This includes, first of all, a normal psychological climate in the family, peace, absence of severe stress, normal sleep. Make sure you include exercise in your daily routine. Dancing, swimming and brisk walking help a lot. Try not to smoke, eat healthy foods and stop drinking alcohol to effectively treat mood swings.
Diet plays an important role in treating mood swings. You should include more minerals and vitamins in your diet if you are prone to mood swings. You can also start consuming certain herbal supplements, such as ginseng, for example.

Therapy Excessive and frequent mood swings can interfere with your daily activities, professional and personal life. To treat this condition, you must learn how to exercise self-control. It is often necessary to undergo multiple therapies, such as behavioral therapy, hormone replacement therapy, cognitive therapy, and talk therapy.

Alternative therapy Acupuncture, aromatherapy and homeopathic medicines help treat severe mood swings in women. Meditation and yoga are also good for getting rid of mood swings.