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20 Year Old, Mood Swings, Unhappy With Life, Gaining Weight, Changing Decisions Frequently. Anything To Worry?
My 20 year old daughter seems to be really struggling lately with making any decisions and her moods swings are out of control. She seems so unhappy with life and has put on a lot of weight. She changes her mind about every decision she makes several times within minutes and this includes everything from minor decisions to very important life-changing decisions. She is constantly announcing something new that she wants to do with her life and seems so happy about it but then within days, or sometimes minutes or hours, decides to go a completely different route. It is driving me crazy, but now it is starting to worry me. Could there be something else going on?
Mon, 15 Jul 2013
Hi,
Thanks for using healthcare magic.
I have gone through your available history.
It seems that your daughter may have psychiatric illness like depression but other illness like bipolar mood disorder or personality traits should be ruled out.
You may take her to consult psychiatrist for detailed evaluation and management.
Doctor may rule out physical causes like thyroid dysfunction or vitamin B 12 deficiency or substance use if any.
Treatment would be directed as per cause.
Thanks.
Thanks for using healthcare magic.
I have gone through your available history.
It seems that your daughter may have psychiatric illness like depression but other illness like bipolar mood disorder or personality traits should be ruled out.
You may take her to consult psychiatrist for detailed evaluation and management.
Doctor may rule out physical causes like thyroid dysfunction or vitamin B 12 deficiency or substance use if any.
Treatment would be directed as per cause.
Thanks.
I find this answer helpful
Hi,
It is quite common to encounter emotional problems in adolescents like defiance or mood swings. If she is unhappy with life try and find out what exactly is causing the problem and try to sort it out. If she doesn't open up to you then you may consult a counselor for the same. The counselor will also intervene into any maladaptive ways of thinking if present (that commonly leads to such problems) or if necessary help her out with some coping strategies.
Irritability, low mood, difficulty in taking decisions, difficulty concentrating, hopelessness, significant change in appetite or disturbed sleep if present persistently for more than 2 weeks or if interfering with her day to day functioning needs to be evaluated by a psychiatrist.
It can sometimes get difficult to draw a line between what is normal and what needs to be considered abnormal. A psychiatrist can help you with that.
Hope this helps,
Dr A Rao
It is quite common to encounter emotional problems in adolescents like defiance or mood swings. If she is unhappy with life try and find out what exactly is causing the problem and try to sort it out. If she doesn't open up to you then you may consult a counselor for the same. The counselor will also intervene into any maladaptive ways of thinking if present (that commonly leads to such problems) or if necessary help her out with some coping strategies.
Irritability, low mood, difficulty in taking decisions, difficulty concentrating, hopelessness, significant change in appetite or disturbed sleep if present persistently for more than 2 weeks or if interfering with her day to day functioning needs to be evaluated by a psychiatrist.
It can sometimes get difficult to draw a line between what is normal and what needs to be considered abnormal. A psychiatrist can help you with that.
Hope this helps,
Dr A Rao
I find this answer helpful
1 user finds this helpful
User's Response
Dr. Balaji Bharadwaj,
Psychiatrist's Response
Psychiatrist's Response
Teenagers do have roller coaster emotions. Some have it more than others.
However, when it is causing impairment in her decision making abilities - when she becomes rash in her decision at times and indecisive and poor confidence at other times, it could probably be a more serious problem.
How is her mood throughout the day? Does she feel sad for prolonged periods of time (say a few days to weeks) - during which she has poor sleep and appetite and low motivation and energy levels? And then she has periods of increased optimism and cheerfulness (when she makes new plans and enthusiastic about her plans)?
Her problem could be cyclothymia [if she has the above symptoms] which is a mild form of bipolar disorder. She may need medications in that case.
Alternatively, it may be just stress that is getting to her and psychotherapy may be all that is required.
You may show her to a psychiatrist who can diagnose appropriately and help you out in this regard.
However, when it is causing impairment in her decision making abilities - when she becomes rash in her decision at times and indecisive and poor confidence at other times, it could probably be a more serious problem.
How is her mood throughout the day? Does she feel sad for prolonged periods of time (say a few days to weeks) - during which she has poor sleep and appetite and low motivation and energy levels? And then she has periods of increased optimism and cheerfulness (when she makes new plans and enthusiastic about her plans)?
Her problem could be cyclothymia [if she has the above symptoms] which is a mild form of bipolar disorder. She may need medications in that case.
Alternatively, it may be just stress that is getting to her and psychotherapy may be all that is required.
You may show her to a psychiatrist who can diagnose appropriately and help you out in this regard.
I find this answer helpful
1 Doctor agrees with this answer
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