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Mood disorders are mental disorders characterized by periods of depression, sometimes alternating with periods of elevated mood (mania). When only one extreme in mood (the depressed state) is experienced, this type of depression is called unipolar. This form of mood disorder is more common than bipolar disorder and often experienced more often by women than men. Some of the unipolar mood disorders we will discuss are dysthymia, adjustment disorder with depressed mood, and major depressive disorder. Dysthymia is characterized by chronic depression, but with less severity than a major depression. The essential symptom for dysthymia is an almost daily-dep