Important signs that you might have a mood disorder instead of just a mood include the following:
- Your mood - anxiety or depression - seems to have no cause or basis that you can determine. You have no idea why you feel the way you do.
- Your mood lasts for longer than a few weeks.
- Your mood is seriously interfering with your daily life.
- Your mood has made you think about suicide, plan suicide, or attempt suicide.
If your moods seem to fit this list, you should make an appointment with two people: your doctor or psychiatrist, and a good therapist. You need a doctor to prescribe medication, and you need a therapist to teach you healthy ways to change your coping skills. The only cure for depression and anxiety is medication PLUS therapy.