Mood Disorders

2SLGBTQ+ individuals are at a greater risk for experiencing mood disorders, and contributing factors include societal and institutional prejudice and discrimination leading to personal shame and guilt about their identity and behaviors. Examples of institutional discrimination that result in mental health disparities include barriers to health care and health insurance and lack of power to make medical and legal decisions on behalf of their partners. Furthermore, 2SLGBTQ+ individuals report higher unmet mental health care needs compared to non-2SLGBTQ+ people.

Bisexual individuals are at greater risk for mood disorders, which may be due to the unique stigma that they face – pervasive stereotypes and negative attitudes about bisexuality are present not only among the heterosexual population, but among lesbian and gay populations, resulting in a ‘double stigma’.

Mood Disorders: medical problems that affect how you feel by impacting your moods, thoughts and actions. It affects the way someone feels about themselves and the way they eat, sleep and think, and can significantly impact one’s general health, personal and work life and functionality. Common mood disorders include:

-        Depression: causes you to feel sad or hopeless much of the time

o   Changes in appetite and weight

o   Sleep disturbances

o   Loss of interest in work, hobbies, people or sex

o   Withdrawal from family members and friends

o   Feeling useless, hopeless, excessively guilty, pessimistic or low self-worth

o   Agitation or lethargy

o   Irritability

o   Fatigue

o   Difficulties with concentration, memory or decision making

o   Thoughts of suicide

o   Loss of touch with reality, hearing voices (hallucinations), or having strange ideas (delusions)

-        Bipolar disorder: causes extreme mood changes from manic episodes of very high energy to periods of depression and low energy

o   Symptoms depend on state of mood

§  Feeling very happy, energetic or on edge

§  Feeling like you need very little sleep

§  Feeling overly confident

§  Doing impulsive things, such as spending a lot of money

§  Feeling sad or hopeless

§  Difficulty concentrating and making decisions

§  Having racing thoughts

§  Losing interest in things or activities you used to enjoy

-        Seasonal affective disorder (SAD): type of depression that affects you during the same season each year, most commonly experienced during the fall and winter months.

o   Symptoms come and go at the same time each year

§  Feeling sad, grumpy, moody or anxious

§  Losing interest in your usual activities

§  Increase appetite

§  Weight gain

§  Sleeping more and feeling drowsy during the daytime

What to do about it:

-        Mood disorders can be treated with:

o   Counseling

o   Medications:

§  Depression and SAD: antidepressants

§  Bipolar disorder: mood stabilizers

§  Antipsychotics

§  Benzodiazepines

o   Light therapy is the main treatment for SAD, it uses a special kind of lamp, which may help minimize symptoms during months with less sunlight

Resources:

CMHA (Edmonton) – Advocacy:

·       Call (780) 414-6300 or email main@cmha-edmonton.ab.ca

·       Provides referrals to free and low-cost and counseling services

·       Mental health education and support for caregivers

·       Help locate programs for mental health recovery, education, or employment training

CMHA (Edmonton) - 211:

·       Call 211, available 24/7, in over 170 languages

·       Provides information and referrals to community, social and government services, such as counseling/support groups, employment resources, healthcare, legal services, etc.

Organization for Bipolar Affective Disorders

·       1-866-263-7408

·       Peer support meetings for individuals with mood disorders and their families and friends. 

Momentum Walk-In Counselling:

·       780-757-0900

·       Conducts free weekly drop-in education and support group – Healthy Living with Bipolar

References:

Depression – Mood Disorders
https://www.mymentalhealth.ca/get-help/topics/depression-mood-disorders/

LGBTQ2 Health in Canada: Study brief for the Standing Committee on Health
https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/421/HESA/Brief/BR10445304/br-external/RainbowHealthOntario-revised-e.pdf

Here to Help - LGBT People and Mental Health
https://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/visions/lgbt-vol6/lgbt-people-and-mental-health

Alberta Health – Learning About Mood Disorders
https://myhealth.alberta.ca/health/AfterCareInformation/pages/conditions.aspx?HwId=ad1612

CMHA (Edmonton) – Resources for Mental Health
https://edmonton.cmha.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/2019-11_211_ResourceList_MentalHealth.pdf

Husain-Krautter, S. (2017). A brief discussion on mood disorders in the LGBT population. American Journal of Psychiatry Residents’ Journal (12)5, 10-11.

Pakula, B., & Shoveller, J. A. (2013). Sexual orientation and self-reported mood disorder diagnosis among Canadian adults. BMC Public Health, 13(1), 1–7.

 Bostwick WB, Boyd CJ, Hughes TL, & McCabe SE. (2010). Dimensions of sexual orientation and the prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders in the United States. American Journal of Public Health, 100(3), 468–475.