Mood Disorders
When it comes to mental health, conditions like bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and anxiety disorders can all be hugely disruptive and traumatizing for patients and their family and friends, but thanks to our experts, we can offer people with mood disorders all the outpatient help they need through various forms of therapy. You can get your daily life back to how you want it, and your everyday life no longer has to be stressful. Read on to find out precisely what the specialists at our Massachusetts intensive outpatient program can do.
What Is A Mood Disorder?
Mood disorders, often diagnosed by a qualified mental health professional, are one of many mental health conditions that can negatively affect someone’s emotional state and overall well-being. These mood disorders include lots of different conditions, including bipolar disorders and major depressive disorders.
It’s useful to know what causes mood disorders because that can help you understand the mental health condition much more and ensure you’re more in control of your health and diagnosis, not to mention the treatment that comes next. The fact is, there are many different things that come together to cause mood disorders, including brain chemicals, environmental factors, and genetic factors contribute as well. It’s true that anyone can develop a mood disorder, but family history, stressful life changes, traumatic events, and even substance abuse can lead to mood disorders.
Mood disorder symptoms can be varied but will often include difficulty concentrating, persistent depressive disorder, persistent depressive episodes, and feelings of sadness that cause problems with personal relationships and sometimes increase the risk of drug abuse, among other issues.
How To Treat Mood Disorders
When it comes to tackling mood disorders in the right way, there’s no one-size-fits-all option – there are many different treatments, just as there are many different symptoms, and that’s why speaking to a mental health professional is the best thing to do. With that in mind, here are some of the potential ways to treat common mood disorders.
Talk therapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy, is a great way to start the treatment of mood disorders for anyone. These therapies are all slightly different, but they all start by uncovering the reasons for mood disorders and bipolar disorder so people can understand the emotional problems they’re experiencing. In CBT, for example, people with mood disorders are able to find out how to challenge their negative thoughts, but other therapies, including interpersonal, focus on improving relationship patterns and communication.
For some, medications like mood stabilizers and antidepressants are what really help to get mood disorders treated. These drugs help to balance brain chemicals, especially those that regulate emotions. Mood stabilizing drugs, often taken by those with bipolar disorder, help to control extreme mood swings. For those with major depressive disorders, antidepressants can work well. No matter what, you must only take medication as prescribed by your healthcare provider and never self-medicate, as this is highly dangerous and could lead to more related disorders.
Sometimes, other treatments don’t work how healthcare providers would hope, and this is when therapy to stimulate the brain might be used. This could include electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). These work directly on the brain to help with things like manic depression and bipolar disorder, and any chronic form of mental health issues. These therapies might sound unpleasant, but many people have gained relief from their mood disorders with them, so it could be worth considering.
Equine therapy is a great example of something that can help people get the stress and PTSD treatment they need. This allows people to connect with horses, helping them get more emotional growth and well-being, but also giving them something physical to do, which helps them be more mindful and relaxed. Their stress should reduce, and they’ll feel better if they seek treatment in this way.
Tai chi can also be beneficial, and for some, it’s the ideal thing to look into when it comes to stress recovery and individualized treatment plans. This combines movement with deep breathing, so people feel more relaxed and stress reduction takes place. This can be a good way to get past a traumatic event and start the healing process in a healthy, productive way.
Mood disorders can affect everyone in a family, not just the person who has been diagnosed with depressive symptoms, postpartum depression, panic disorder, seasonal affective disorder, and other disorders that make up the overall family of mood disorders. Family members can also be affected negatively, which is why family therapy can be a wonderful treatment. Family therapy involves allowing families to talk to one another to make communicating better and easier and to ensure everyone understands the mental health condition. In this way, home life becomes a lot easier for everyone, and mood disorders diagnosed can be dealt with better.
Equine therapy is a great example of something that can help people get the stress and PTSD treatment they need. This allows people to connect with horses, helping them get more emotional growth and well-being, but also giving them something physical to do, which helps them be more mindful and relaxed. Their stress should reduce, and they’ll feel better if they seek treatment in this way.
Tai chi can also be beneficial, and for some, it’s the ideal thing to look into when it comes to stress recovery and individualized treatment plans. This combines movement with deep breathing, so people feel more relaxed and stress reduction takes place. This can be a good way to get past a traumatic event and start the healing process in a healthy, productive way.
Seasonal affective disorder and premenstrual dysphoric disorder can both be helped hugely with light-based therapy. In this case, exposure to bright, artificial light can improve a depressed mood and your mood disorder, reducing feelings of sadness.
Equine therapy is a great example of something that can help people get the stress and PTSD treatment they need. This allows people to connect with horses, helping them get more emotional growth and well-being, but also giving them something physical to do, which helps them be more mindful and relaxed. Their stress should reduce, and they’ll feel better if they seek treatment in this way.
Tai chi can also be beneficial, and for some, it’s the ideal thing to look into when it comes to stress recovery and individualized treatment plans. This combines movement with deep breathing, so people feel more relaxed and stress reduction takes place. This can be a good way to get past a traumatic event and start the healing process in a healthy, productive way.
Do You Qualify For An IOS For Mood Disorders?
The first step is to speak to our admissions professionals to schedule an admissions assessment. After this, you can discuss your needs with our expert team, who will let you know if we can help. Atlantic Behavioral Health provides Psychiatric Day treatment for those over 18.
Why Intensive Outpatient Services Work for Mood Disorders
Intensive outpatient programs (IOS) at Atlantic Behavioral Health are a flexible and highly effective way for those with mood disorders, from major depression and anxiety disorders to bipolar disorder and much more, to get the help they need when it comes to treating these conditions. The programs are specially designed to bridge the gap between traditional outpatient care and inpatient care, and because of that, they are an excellent choice for people with the most common mood disorders. Here are some benefits to help you decide if this is a step you want to take for your mood disorders.
Flexible Scheduling
IOSs can help many people in many ways, but what makes it a good choice and special for many people with mood disorders is its flexible scheduling. It’s important to know that life doesn’t and shouldn’t stop just because you need mood disorder treatment, and there will still be responsibilities like work and your family or even hobbies that you’ll need to be around for. IOSs recognize this – and how important normal everyday life is – and provide a treatment plan that fits into your life perfectly, no matter what else you have to do.
Comprehensive Care
IOSs aren’t limited to just one type of treatment for one kind of mood disorder; they offer something for everyone, from those with major depression to those with intermittent explosive disorder, premenstrual syndrome, depression and bipolar, and more. People with more than one mood disorder who need a range of different treatments like psychodynamic therapy and cognitive therapy can get the help they need in one place.
Supportive Environment
In an IOS, you’re sure to find a highly supportive environment where you can connect with people who are just like you, going through similar challenges in their lives. Group therapy can be a wonderful way to meet these people and have a chance to talk about your condition and listen to other people’s coping strategies. This and other types of support can go a long way to ensuring your mental wellness is worked on.
Individualized Treatment Plans
Any expert in mood disorders knows that the best treatment involves understanding the patient first. That’s why a professional in an intensive outpatient program will take the time to get to know their patient before creating the ideal treatment program for them. They’ll take your medical history into account, as well as risk factors. They’ll talk about your extreme sadness, dysthymic disorder, mood disorders medications, and they may also give you a physical exam. This way, they have a full picture before they diagnose mood disorders and provide you with access to a mood disorder plan that should help.
We're Here To Help
We know that mood disorders include many elements and factors, such as intense sadness and depression alternating with extreme happiness, and much more. We also know that there are many treatments that can help. That’s why we recommend you get in touch with us as soon as you can – we can help with the most severe form of bipolar disorder, PTSD, depressed mood, anxiety disorders, and more. Let us help you by contacting us today.
