Mood disorders can make day-to-day life a daunting experience.  Symptoms can be fairly broad and involve physical changes such as headaches or stomachaches.  Other common symptoms include the loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed, changes in appetite or eating, disturbances in regular sleep, feeling fatigue, crying more than usual, anxiety and fearfulness or feeling sad, hopeless, worthless, or guilt, difficulty with attention and concentration, irritability and anger, isolation and feelings of loneliness, and thoughts of dying and/or suicide.

We specialize in several common treatment approaches for mood disorder including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), interpersonal therapy, and psychodynamic therapy, and art therapy.  Often, we use a blended or integrative approach to teach practical techniques around thinking and behaviors, support healthy lifestyle changes, and work through underlying areas that may form the root of your concerns around mood.

If a mood disorder is keeping you from living the life you want, please consider contacting us to discuss how we might work together to improve your well-being.

The main types of mood disorders include:

Major depressive disorder

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

Bipolar I disorder: Depression with a manic episode or period of euphoric and/or irritable moods and markedly increased energy or activity, often with little or no need for sleep.

Bipolar II disorder: Depression with at least one episode of current or past hypomania, which is a less severe form of mania.

Cyclothymic disorders: Involving a two-year history minimum of many episodes of "not-quite" hypomania and "not-quite" major depression. 

Persistent depressive disorder: This diagnosis is meant to include both chronic major depressive disorder that has lasted for two or more years and what was previously known as dysthymic disorder or dysthymia, a low-grade form of depression.

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder: Involving the presence of specific mood symptoms in the week before the onset of menstruation, followed by the resolution of these symptoms after onset. 

Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder: Recently added to the DSM-V for children up to 18 years of age who exhibit persistent irritability and frequent episodes of extreme behavioral dyscontrol.