affective disorder

American

noun

Psychiatry.

any mental disorder, as depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, or cyclothymia, in which a major disturbance of feelings or emotions is predominant.

affective disorder British

noun

any mental disorder, such as depression or mania, that is characterized by abnormal disturbances of mood

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

affective disorder Scientific

/ ə-fĕk′tĭv /

See mood disorder

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, Washingtonians are especially prone to it due to climate.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 8, 2024

For those who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, shorter days signal the start of “depression szn.”

From New York Times • Oct. 11, 2021

Seasonal Affective Disorder — the “winter blues” — is real, says Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News’ chief medical correspondent.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 16, 2018

Joseph would come to find out that he was living with Bipolar Affective Disorder.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2015

When Pitchfork posted Stevens’ tour dates, acquired via the Disco Naïveté twitter feed, the tour had a name: the “Surfjohn Stevens Christmas Sing-A-Long: Seasonal Affective Disorder Yuletide Disaster Pageant on Ice.”

From Time • Oct. 8, 2012

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023