Causes of Mood Swings in Men and Women
What are mood swings?
These are sudden and dramatic shift in emotions. We can also say it is a noticeable change in one’s emotional state. Mood swings are a natural part of people’s lives, it’s inevitable. At times we get happy and other times we get sad. There are times when we feel on top of the world, and this can drastically change to feeling lethargic and beaten down, this is natural and there is no reason to worry. However, some people’s mood swings are so serious, rapid and extreme such that they interfere in their daily life.
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Discussed below are causes of mood swings in men and women:
Causes of Mood Swings in Women
•Premenstrual Syndrome – These symptoms occur one or two weeks before menses. Studies have shown that the severity of the symptom may change from month to month. It is believed that hormonal changes are to blame for this kind of mood swings.
•Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder – This is a more severe and rare type of PMS and it affects a small percentage of women. It has extreme mood swings.
•Stress – Like in men stress and other psychological issues can cause mood swings.
•Hormone Imbalance – Besides Estrogen we have other hormones that can cause mood swings. For instance, hypothyroidism which is a condition that arises from inadequate production of hormones by the thyroid gland can cause mood swings
•Puberty – This is a stage of emotional, physical and psychological changes in kids. Unexpected emotions and mood swings are very common at this stage.
•Pregnancy – During pregnancy mood swings are caused by changes in hormonal levels which disappear after delivery.
•Menopause – This stage comes with a major transition in life and it is associated with mood swings and emotions. As estrogen levels fall women experience symptoms such as hot flashes, insomnia, and reduced sex drive.
Causes of Mood Swings in Men
•High-stress cortisol levels and low testosterone levels – This causes irritable men syndrome also called irritable male syndrome. Some men respond by acting while other holds this feeling which causes depression. A man with irritable men syndrome or mood swings will show the following behaviors; anger, impatient, sarcastic, anxious, tensed, hostile, argumentative, unloving, frustrated, withdrawn, defensive, dissatisfied etc.
•ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) people associated with this condition get frustrated easily and can feel inadequate and get depresses which in turn leads to mood swings.
•Borderline personality disorder (BPS) –This is characterized by the inability of the patient’s to retain a good relationship with others due to the prevailing conditions. This can cause mood swings which can lead to depression.
•Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) Individuals can experience extreme, uncontrollable anger that can lead to violence which is not necessarily meant to harm.
•Substance abuse – Alcohol and drug abuse can cause unexpected mood swings. Addiction may make people behave erratically as their behavior is guided by the craving.
Stress – Like in women continuous stress can lead to mood swings since people feel like no one understands their problems.
•Chemical imbalance – The brain utilizes different chemicals called neurotransmitters. When the production of these chemicals is disrupted the result is mood swings, depression, and excessive anxiety.