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Mood disorders (also called affective disorders) are a category of psychiatric conditions characterized by marked, sustained disruptions in emotional state — either severe lows (depression) or highs (hypomania or mania) — that impact nearly all aspects of a person’s behavior and functioning.
Mood disorders are broadly categorized into depressive disorders (including major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder/dysthymia, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder) and bipolar and related disorders (including bipolar I, bipolar II, and cyclothymic disorder), which the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR, 2022) presents as separate diagnostic chapters while retaining the umbrella term in clinical and research use. Mood disorders are among the most common psychiatric conditions worldwide and are associated with significant morbidity and mortality.
Author and reviewer
Editorial responsibilityReferences and further reading
- American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR). 5th ed., Text Revision. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association Publishing; 2022. View source
How to cite this entry
Encyclopedia of Nutritional Psychology. (2026). Mood Disorders. The Center for Nutritional Psychology.
https://www.nutritional-psychology.org/encyclopedia/mood-disorders/Know a term that belongs in the Encyclopedia?
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