Your general emotional well-being can be affected by several things throughout your life. Taking substances, whether legally prescribed or illicit, is one of the rising causes of mood disorders among people. Understanding the effects of substance use on your mood will equip you with the signs of misuse and show you how to prepare for a mood disorder diagnosis and treatment.
What Causes a Substance Induced Mood Disorder?
This particular disorder is caused by the consumption of and subsequent withdrawal from substances, including recreational illicit drugs or prescribed medications and other accepted substances. The symptoms of the disorder are often severe, and they must negatively affect a person’s daily functions to be considered a disorder, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).
Potential substances that can result in an individual developing the disorder include:
- Caffeine
- Alcohol
- Cannabis
- Morphine
- Opioids
- Fentanyl
There have also been instances of people developing this disorder through inhaling the toxins from paints and paint thinners, gasoline and glues. The strong fumes from these substances can seriously damage your bodily systems’ functionality and should be avoided.
How Does the Disorder Present Itself?
Substance induced mood disorder is a persistent emotional condition that causes a disturbance in a person’s cognitive and emotional functions. It can manifest in the form of:
- Depressive disorders
- Psychotic disorders
- Bipolar disorder
- Anxiety disorders
- Compulsive disorders
The psychological effects occur from excessive use of and prolonged exposure to the aforementioned substances. These addictions can be the direct cause of extreme mood swings and other detrimental effects on how a person processes their emotions.
What Are the Symptoms of the Disorder?
A person should consider a diagnosis for this disorder if they experience the following symptoms consistently for at least a month:
- A sudden unexplained feeling of fatigue or lack of energy
- Issues falling asleep at night
- A drastic change in appetite
- Trouble with concentration or forming coherent thoughts
- Feeling apathetic toward things or activities previously enjoyed
- Increased irritability or manic feelings
- Development of suicidal ideation or plans
- Increase in psychosis or anxiety that leads to tension with loved ones
- A general feeling of excessive sadness, guilt, emptiness or hopelessness
If you get these symptoms after taking recreational substances or prescribed medications, consider documenting when these feelings started and how often they persist. Seek medical attention and psychiatric evaluation if you think the issue is severe enough to put you or others around you in immediate danger.
How Is the Disorder Treated?
The first step to treatment is getting a diagnosis. A medical professional will only diagnose you if your symptoms persist for a month and are adequately close enough to your first intake of a substance.
Most commonly, treatment for this disorder involves stopping the substance use with professional supervision and monitoring. Withdrawal symptoms may develop if the detox process is abrupt, and doctors want to be able to prevent the likelihood of this issue. If a person has developed a depressive disorder since the onset of their substance intake, doctors will likely prescribe antidepressants for treatment.
Other forms of treatment for depressive disorder and other mood disorders can include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational enhancement therapy, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines and motivational interviewing.
Seek the Treatment You Need
At Crest View Recovery Center, we have several therapy treatments and programs to help you with improving your mental state, and we invite you to reach out. We’ll work with you to support you where needed in your journey, and we’ll help you receive the right treatment for your situation. Contact us today to see how we can help.
