Steps from the Green Line
Help for Mood Disorders in Boston
If you struggle with severe emotions that make it difficult to move through daily life, then you deserve help no matter what. If your symptoms are severe enough, you will have access to specific treatment options that others won’t have, but that’s just the fine print.
We can offer talk therapy, family therapy, and even holistic therapy to you in a safe, private, and comfortable location. If you do experience symptoms of mood disorders and meet the criteria for diagnosis, then you may have access to additional treatments, like medication management.
One thing is sure: if you are struggling, you can get help from a mental health professional here at Back Bay Mental Health. We are a premium private clinic offering professionals, students, and even youths alike access to high-quality care and treatment for their mental disorders and struggles, so if you deal with frequent anger outbursts, severe depressive episodes, are dealing with chronic stress, or are generally struggling because of intense moods, get in touch with our team – we can help.
What are Mood Disorders?
Mood disorders are a family of disorders that affect your mood and ability to manage your moods. There are several related disorders as well, so don’t worry if you don’t fully meet the criteria outlined in the diagnostic and statistical manual. You may have a related disorder or an unspecified version of one of these disorders. If you are struggling, even if it’s just after stressful life changes, we can help. We help those with mood disorders, depression, anxiety, and adjustment disorders too.
Types of Mood Disorders
Several disorders fall under the mood disorder umbrella. These mood disorders include:
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a lifelong mood disorder that can be very difficult to live with if you don’t get treatment or build up the skillsets necessary to identify trigger points. Those who have bipolar disorder tend to shift rapidly from one stage to another. This can mean experiencing something of a whiplash between energetic and fatigued, aggression and depression, and so on.
There are three main types of bipolar disorders.
- Bipolar I Disorder: If you have this type of bipolar disorder, you’ll often experience both mania and depression.
- Bipolar II Disorder: Those with this bipolar disorder might experience hypomania (rather than full-blown mania). Hypomanic personality disorders aren’t as intense as manic ones, but the depressive symptoms can be just as fierce.
- Cyclothymic Disorder: Those with this type of bipolar disorder also experience hypomanic or manic episodes but to a lesser degree. Though symptoms aren’t as intense, they can last longer.
Unspecified Bipolar: If you don’t easily fit into one of the above options, you likely have an unspecified type of bipolar disorder. This doesn’t mean you can’t get help, just that treating bipolar disorder for you will usually include additional sessions, as you likely have comorbid conditions affecting your diagnosis.
Depression Mental Health Condition
Depression is a prevalent mental health condition that can affect anyone. Causes of depression can include:
- Traumatic events
- Abuse
- Grief
- Hormonal changes
- Substance abuse
- Stress
- Low self-esteem
- Family history
- Pregnancy/giving birth
- Menopause
- Loneliness
- Medical illness
There are also different types of depression. Depression itself can range from a short-term depressed mood to mild depression to severe depression. There is even treatment-resistant depression, which can be particularly difficult for those who have it.
Here are just a few of the different types of depression you may experience:
- Postpartum Depression: This is a unique type of major depression that affects those who have recently gone through pregnancy and birth. The change that comes with having a baby (physically, hormonally, emotionally, socially, and yes, even financially) can take a severe toll. This can lead to depressive episodes and even full psychotic disorders if left untreated. Those with postpartum depression need support from experts and their loved ones.
- Seasonal Affective Disorder: Seasonal affective disorder is a seasonal-dependent type of depression commonly known as SAD. Symptoms usually start when the seasons get colder and shorter and can begin as early as autumn and last until the spring.
- Depression with Psychosis: This is a type of severe depression that includes psychosis. You may experience hallucinations or hold delusions. It’s imperative you treat depression like this with experts, as your psychosis may result in harm to others or yourself.
Persistent Depression: Unfortunately, some live with persistent mood disorders. With persistent depression, for example, you experience depressive symptoms for two years or more.
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder is a short-term disorder that’s tied to the menstrual cycle. Those with it will usually experience symptoms of PMDD from 10 days to a week before their period is due to begin. Symptoms typically stop by the time your menstrual cycle starts. While brought on by the same hormones common in regular premenstrual syndrome (PMS), the symptoms of PMDD are more severe.
Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder
Disruptive mood disorder is one that commonly affects children and adolescents the most. These children will experience intense irritable mood periods and are prone to anger and outbursts. Unlike intermittent explosive disorder, children with this disruptive mood disorder are typically constantly angry.
While DMDD starts in childhood, it doesn’t just go away on its own. If left untreated, children with DMDD will typically develop major depression or a generalized anxiety disorder.
Causes of Mood Disorders
Mood disorders are unique even amongst themselves. This means what causes mood disorders in one person might be very different from someone else.
You may develop mood disorders, for example, after experiencing trauma. Others might develop mood disorders due to genetic factors. Hormonal, chemical, and physical causes are also common when it comes to mood disorders.
You can learn more about the specific causes of your mood disorder by identifying the type of mood disorder that you have. Causes for depression, for example, tend to differ from premenstrual dysphoric disorder.
What Isn't a Mood Disorder?
It may feel like most mental health conditions are mood disorders, but that’s not true. Those with a lifetime anxiety disorder, panic disorder, or posttraumatic stress disorder do not have mood disorders in and of themselves. That doesn’t mean that you may not also have a mood disorder if you experience these mental disorders.
For example, those with eating disorders are likely to also experience depression. Those with mood disorders may also try to self-medicate, so to speak, and end up developing a substance use disorder.
Do not feel like you cannot get help if you seem to have a related disorder instead of a mood disorder specifically. Our team here at Back Bay Mental Health can help regardless. The only difference is the treatment and our focus. If you are struggling with your mental health condition, then you deserve help.
We can help get your mood disorders diagnosed, help you understand exactly what mental health conditions you have, and get you started on your personalized treatment plan.
Symptoms of Mood Disorders
Each mood disorder has its own set of unique symptoms, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t overlap.
Common symptoms of mood disorders can include:
- Brief and intense elevated mood periods
- Severe mood swings
- Depressive symptoms
- Anger and irritability
- Sense of helplessness or hopelessness
- Low self-esteem
- Excessive feelings of guild
- Withdrawing (socially, from hobbies, etc)
- Relationship difficulties
- Insomnia
- Physical symptoms (headaches, stomach pains, fatigue)
- Suicidal ideation
While you should treat depression and mood disorders straight away regardless, if you are having thoughts about suicide, wish to die, or are planning your end, please seek out help immediately. There is hope. You do not need to go through this alone. Contact our experts (or anyone), and we will work hard to help connect you to a personalized treatment plan that works for you.
How Mood Disorders are Treated
It’s hard to be specific about how mood disorders are treated because each condition has its own unique set of treatment recommendations. Generally, however, mood disorders treating mood disorders will include:
Talk Therapy
Talk therapy is one of the top options for treating mood disorders. This is because you must work to find the root cause of your mood disorder. Yes, sometimes it is chemical or even hormonal, which means medical management will often be used to help you manage your moods further.
Physical causes, however, are often at the bottom of the list of causes. That’s why we use talk therapy to help you understand the cause of your mood disorder and what triggers it.
Your therapist will also help you develop coping skills so that you can better manage your mood disorder on your outside of the session.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
One of the ways that your therapist can help you build skills to help you manage your mood disorder is through cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT helps help you identify triggering thoughts and walk back away from a negative spiral.
Interpersonal Therapy
Another example of one of the talk therapies you’ll be introduced to during the session is interpersonal therapy. This type of therapy can help those with clinical depression in particular, as it works to help you understand your emotions and how they specifically affect your relationships.
Family Focused Therapy
Family therapy can do wonders for those with mood disorders, mainly if you experienced trauma as a child. Even if that trauma occurred outside the home, your family support network does wonders. Your family is, after all, your first support network.
Our therapists can help you improve your relationship with your family or help your family learn how best to help you at home with individual and group sessions.
Medication
Medication is also used to treat mood disorders. You may be given selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or other antidepressants or mood stabilizers to help even out your mood swings and extreme sadness.
Other Treatments for Mood Disorders
If you have treatment-resistant depression, then you may be referred to other therapy options. One such option could be electroconvulsive therapy, which is done within medical settings as you need to be under general anesthesia. During electroconvulsive therapy, a low-level current is sent through your brain, inducing a seizure. The goal is to relieve severe symptoms, though it is not universally effective.
Do You Qualify for Mood Disorders Treatment?
We offer evaluations to all our patients, allowing you to get the diagnosis you need to start understanding your mental health. If you experience these symptoms, then you might be diagnosed with a mood disorder and then have access to mood disorder treatments:
- Your symptoms
- Length of episodes
- How much time passes between episodes
- Intensity of your episodes
- Whether substance abuse was involved
- Your family history
If you don’t qualify for mood disorder treatments, however, you are not out of luck. We can treat you regardless; we just might not treat you specifically for a mood disorder.
Getting Treatment at an Intensive Outpatient Program*
There are many reasons to choose an intensive outpatient program* clinic like ours over other options (for example, telehealth sessions). When you choose us, you get:
One-on-One Treatment
Here at Back Bay Mental Health, you’ll have one-on-one sessions with a psychiatrist, psychologist, and counselors as necessary. This gives you comprehensive care from experts in a private and dedicated environment.
A Luxurious and Private Setting
We are a luxury clinic, so you will be entirely at ease in our center. You’ll enjoy a fully secure, private, and safe facility with us. The goal is to be as relaxed and at ease during your sessions.
Schedule Flexibility
We offer evening sessions and can accommodate your schedule throughout the day. Whether you need to make time for us after work, between classes, or with other responsibilities, we can make it work.
Comprehensive Care and Support
We fully personalize your treatment plan. You’ll have access to psychiatric care, psychological counseling, and holistic therapy with us.
Contact Our Team Today
We are a private clinic, so there is no waiting list. Instead, you can start your treatment today. All you need to do is contact our team, and we’ll book you in for your first session.