Mood Disorders

What are mood disorders?

Mood disorders are mental illnesses that disrupt emotional regulation, causing uncontrollable mood changes. Conditions Derek treats include:

Major depressive disorder (MDD)
MDD — usually known as depression — causes intense negative feelings such as despair, shame, misery, worthlessness, and sadness that persist for many weeks or months.

Dysthymia
Dysthymia (persistent depressive disorder) is depression that becomes a chronic illness lasting many years or even a lifetime.

Bipolar disorder
People affected by bipolar disorder experience mood changes that are often severe. They switch between MDD symptoms and mania, a state of mind that causes hyperactivity, overconfidence, recklessness, and out-of-character behaviors.

Cyclothymic disorder
Cyclothymia is bipolar disorder with less severe symptoms.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
SAD can affect people who don’t get enough daylight, so in the United States, it strikes during the winter when days are short.

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)
Women with PMDD suffer extreme mood swings at the same point in their menstrual cycle every month, usually relating to fluctuating hormone levels.

What symptoms might I experience with mood disorders?

The problem shared by all mood disorders is depression. This is a persistent low mood where you feel empty, can’t focus properly, and become overwhelmed by negative thoughts and emotions. You lose interest in your favorite activities, and work and relationships suffer because you can’t shake these feelings off.

Depression can be severe, leading to additional problems like substance misuse, addiction, and self-harm. Without expert help, people fall into a place where everything is bleak, and each day is a mountain to climb. The unrelieved despair depression causes can push some people to consider suicide.

Different symptoms can affect people with the same mood disorder. For instance, insomnia (struggling to get to sleep or sleeping only a couple of hours) affects some, while hypersomnia (spending excessive time asleep or napping) is more of a problem for others.

What treatments can help with mood disorder symptoms?

Mood disorder treatments consist of talk therapy, sometimes with medication. Patients with severe symptoms might benefit from antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs, or mood stabilizers.

Talk therapy with a skilled counselor like Derek can be enormously beneficial. He helps you understand your symptoms and uses techniques like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to teach you coping skills for daily life.

Call Logos Mental Health and Wellness, to arrange a mood disorder evaluation or schedule a therapy session using the online booking form today.