(Or How I’m Not Crazy, Just Heavy On The Neurological Spice)

Let’s be real — the phrase “moody woman” gets tossed around more than a toddler’s sippy cup. It’s shorthand for “she had a valid emotional response, but it made me uncomfortable.” If I had a dollar for every time someone chalked up my reaction to hormones, I’d have enough to pay for all the meds that actually manage those moods.

Why “Mood Swings” Are More Than Just a Stereotype

• Mood disorders like bipolar disorder, PMDD, and even ADHD-related emotional dysregulation affect hormone levels, executive function, and emotional processing.
• A study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders found that emotional intensity and mood variability are frequently misinterpreted in women — especially when compared to men exhibiting the same symptoms.
• Women are also more likely to be misdiagnosed with borderline personality disorder when they actually have bipolar II (source: Psychiatric Times, 2020).

Fact: I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder when I was 15, do you know how many legitimate concerns I’ve had brushed off because of that, or even Fibro, by doctors or medical professionals who should KNOW BETTER??? Not a little thats for sure, too many, yes I have neuro issues that doesnt mean I can’t have issues elsewhere, two things can be true.

The Cultural Bias Against Emotion

Reminder: anger, sadness, irritability — those aren’t “bad moods.” Those are data. Something’s happening in your environment, your body, or your brain chemistry.

We raise girls to be emotionally attuned, then weaponize that sensitivity against them as adults.

Being “too much” is just another way to shame someone for expressing a normal human emotion with intensity.

My English teachers would often tell me they loved my passion when I’d be sitting there crying because I remembered my Dad was dead after managing to feel normal for five minutes, then feeling guilty and mad at myself for feeling normal and not missing my Dad. I didn’t know how to express that sadness so I let her think the poems had moved me deeply. Then I felt guilty for not correcting her, it felt like she was giving me too much undeserved credit. It was cyclical.

Hormones Are Real, But They’re Not the Whole Story

• Estrogen and serotonin are linked, and hormone changes do affect mood, but they don’t create mental illness out of thin air. They might exacerbate underlying issues, especially in people already dealing with bipolar disorder, ADHD, or CPTSD.
• There’s a term for the way women’s pain and emotion are dismissed: “hysteria bias.” (Yes, it’s as fun as it sounds.)
• Fact: One study in The Lancet Psychiatry (2019) confirmed women with bipolar disorder have a more depressive-dominant form, while men tend toward more manic episodes — yet men are still diagnosed earlier and taken more seriously.

Like I don’t want to call anyone out but ah, my hip has been messed up for YEARS, and multiple x-rays have showed it, yet my last doctor would go ‘ Well, with your fibro its hard to say….’ Um no it wasnt hard at all the next doctor didnt even have the x-ray dry before telling me how jacked up it was. Let me tell you, only YOU are going to prioritize your health, even if you have the best doc in the world who legitimately cares for you, you are still one of but many they think about, so if you are not looking out for and advocating for you then who is?

 You’re Not Difficult — You’re Operating With Faulty Wiring and a Broken Support Manual

• Stop apologizing for being “too sensitive” or “too much.” The world just hasn’t adapted to emotionally fluent people.
• You aren’t broken. You’re just working with a neurochemical system that isn’t always on your side.
• The myth of the difficult woman is a tool used to keep women quiet, compliant, and apologizing for their own damn nervous systems.

So the next time someone says you’re being moody, thank them. Because “moody” is just code for “having the guts to feel things deeply while still managing to feed a family, run a house, battle a diagnosis, and survive late-stage capitalism.”
Call me moody again and I’ll invoice you for the unpaid therapy session you just triggered. Emotional depth isn’t a flaw — it’s a full-time job with no PTO.

Til Next Time Gang, take care of yourselves, and each other