Mood swings and mental health

Mood swings can be a symptom of an underlying mental health condition, not a character flaw, not a bad attitude, not something to just get over. Understanding the connections helps you respond to yourself with more compassion, and know when to reach out for support.

Bipolar disorder

The condition most commonly linked with mood swings is bipolar disorder, a mental health condition where mood can shift between dramatic highs, known as mania or hypomania, and deep lows, known as depression. During a high, a person might feel invincible, barely sleep, talk constantly and take risks they’d normally avoid, and during a low those same capabilities feel completely out of reach.

Important to know

Bipolar disorder is manageable. With the right support, often a combination of medication, therapy and lifestyle strategies, many people with bipolar disorder live full, stable lives, so a diagnosis is a starting point rather than a verdict.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD)

BPD is another condition closely linked with intense mood shifts, often shorter-lived than bipolar episodes but frequently more intense in the moment. The emotional experience of BPD is sometimes described as having the volume turned up too high on every feeling.

Real-life scenario

Aisha, 22, describes feeling completely fine in the morning, then devastated by a text message that most people would brush off, then back to fine within the hour. She says it feels exhausting, ‘like my emotions are constantly on a hair-trigger’. Her therapist has explained this is a known feature of BPD, not a personal failing.

Mood lability: what it means

You might hear the term mood lability, which describes emotional responses that are intense, rapid and well out of proportion to whatever triggered them. It’s not the same as simply being emotional or sensitive, and it can show up as:

Sudden intense anger

Bursts of rage that feel unjustified or unexplained even to the person experiencing them, often followed by shame.

Emotional fragility

Deep feelings of abandonment or rejection, leading to behaviours that push people away even when closeness is the very thing being wanted.

Impulsive responses

Acting on a thought or feeling straight away, without the pause to weigh up the consequences, whether that is spending, arguments or risky decisions.

Remember

Having mood swings doesn’t mean you have a mental health condition. If you do notice a consistent, disruptive pattern in yourself though, speaking to a GP or a mental health professional is one of the most useful things you can do, because an early conversation is far easier than waiting until a crisis.