MANAGING MOOD DISORDERS IN COVID-19

Mood is an atmosphere of pervasive and settled feeling internally internally that influences the behavior of the individual concerned and his perception of the outside world. The mood can be normal, increased or depressed. Normal people have a wide range of emotional experiences and are controlled. According to Julius Falret (1854) mood describes a condition called folie circulaire, marked by emotional changes in the form of mania or depression alternately.


Mood disorders are a group of clinical conditions that are characterized by a loss of control, accompanied by extreme stress. There are 3 episodes that are often experienced, among others: 1. Symptoms of increased mood marked by lack of need for sleep, talk a lot, increased energy, increased sexual intercourse, sometimes accompanied by increased sociability and talkative lasting 2 weeks to 4-5 months is called episode mania, 2. Symptoms of decreased mood are characterized by lack of energy, loss of interest, there is guilt, difficulty concentrating, loss of appetite, and thinking about death or suicide lasting 6 months to less than a year is called a depressive episode, 3. If there is a rapid mood change mania and depression is called a mixed episode. Other symptoms include changes in daily activities, cognitive abilities and speaking abilities. Mood disorders will often cause interference with interpersonal, social and work ability relationships. Mood disorders main problem occurs in rapid emotional changes (mood swing).


Many things are thought to be the cause of mood disorders, including: 1. Genetic factors are thought to have a strong role but are not fully understood, 2. Disorders of the balance of certain neurotransmitters (substances that play a role in inter-nerve communication) in the brain are important causes of mood disorders. 3. Psychosocial factors such as the stress of life with heavy pressure and a long time (such as COVID-19). The existence of these three things is accompanied by a new adaptation to make peace with COVID-19, thus facilitating the emergence of mood changes quickly.


The prevalence of severe depression is experienced by women twice as much as men (among others: hormonal, childbirth, psychosocial stressors that differ between men and women and the model of "learned helplessness" in women). "Learned helplessness" is depression associated with helplessness when having an unpleasant experience due to a fall in self-esteem. Whereas episodes of mania are more often experienced by men and depressive episodes are more commonly experienced by women. When women experience episodes of mania, they are usually more often in the form of mixed episodes and women are also more likely to experience "rapid cycles".


Patients who have mood disorders may have difficulty following government instructions (wearing masks, washing hands, keeping a distance and avoiding crowds) and putting themselves at risk of violating various actions without thinking that it facilitates the spread of COVID-19 faster. Changes in behavior, risk taking violations, impaired negative judgment of the problem, easy to be careless need help to resolve mood changes.


Mood disorders often occur together (comorbidities) accompanied by other psychiatric disorders, especially alcoholism and disorders of the use of psychoactive substances, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and social phobia. Comorbidity in men is more often in the form of disorders of the use of psychoactive substances, whereas in women it is more often in the form of anxiety and eating disorders. In general compared to people with major depression, people with mood disorders more often experience comorbidities with disorders using psychoactive substances and anxiety disorders; These comorbidities worsen the prognosis and increase the risk of suicide.


Strategies for managing mood to be stable during COVID-19:

1. Exercise at home routinely guided by a sports instructor from YouTube according to age

2. Avoid excessive caffeine. alcohol, nicotine. Caffeine as a stimulant but can worsen the comorbidities of other psychiatric disorders, namely anxiety, panic. Alcohol as a depressant worsens the mood, causing changes in violation behavior. Nicotine can reduce immunity so that it is easier to develop upper respiratory tract infections

3. Change your diet according to your age and daily activities so you don't gain weight because you live at home or work from home. Increase fruit and vegetable intake to maintain endurance

4. Think positively by accepting the new adaptation of COVID-19 so that togetherness with the nuclear family gets closer

5. Foster effective communication

6. Creating creativity channeling the mood by painting, making poetry, listening to music, trying to learn food recipes from YouTube, gardening or if you have a pet, do patting / stroking, etc.

7. Behavioral Therapy to restore ability and self-confidence is able to make peace with COVID-19

8. Get enough rest / sleep