Understanding Mood Disorders: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment Options
Everyone experiences shifts in mood, but when these changes are intense, long-lasting, and disrupt daily life, they may be signs of a mood disorder. Mood disorders affect how people feel, think, and function, often causing emotional pain, difficulty in relationships, and struggles at work or school.
Mood disorders are among the most common mental health conditions, impacting millions of adults in the U.S. each year. While they can feel overwhelming, they are also highly treatable.
At Groundbreaker Therapy, we provide compassionate, evidence-based care for individuals living with mood disorders. Through Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and integrative treatment approaches, we help clients regulate emotions, build stability, and rediscover hope.
What Are Mood Disorders?
Mood disorders are a category of mental health conditions characterized by disturbances in a person’s emotional state. These conditions involve persistent sadness, extreme highs and lows, or difficulty maintaining emotional balance.
Common types of mood disorders include:
- Major Depressive Disorder (MDD): Persistent sadness, loss of interest, and hopelessness.
- Bipolar Disorder: Periods of depression alternating with episodes of mania or hypomania.
- Cyclothymic Disorder: Chronic fluctuations between mild depression and hypomania.
- Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia): Long-term, less severe depression lasting two years or more.
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Depression linked to seasonal changes, often in winter.
Mood disorders vary in severity, but all significantly impact well-being without treatment.
Common Symptoms of Mood Disorders
While symptoms differ by type, common signs of mood disorders include:
Depressive Symptoms:
- Persistent sadness, emptiness, or hopelessness
- Fatigue and low energy
- Changes in sleep or appetite
- Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
- Loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities
- Thoughts of death or suicide
Manic or Hypomanic Symptoms (for Bipolar Disorders):
- Elevated or irritable mood
- Decreased need for sleep
- Racing thoughts or rapid speech
- Impulsivity or risk-taking behaviors
- Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity
General Effects:
- Strained relationships
- Decline in work or academic performance
- Physical complaints (headaches, stomach problems, tension)
- Difficulty maintaining stability in daily life
What Causes Mood Disorders?
Mood disorders develop from a complex interaction of genetic, biological, and environmental factors.
Common causes include:
- Genetics: Family history of mood disorders.
- Brain chemistry: Imbalances in neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.
- Trauma: Childhood abuse, neglect, or significant loss.
- Stress: Work, financial, or relational pressures.
- Medical conditions: Chronic illness, hormonal changes, or medication side effects.
- Personality factors: High sensitivity, perfectionism, or poor stress tolerance.
At Groundbreaker Therapy, we recognize that mood disorders are not personal weaknesses but conditions that deserve care and treatment.
Mood Disorders Diagnosis
Mood disorders are diagnosed by licensed mental health professionals using the DSM-5 criteria. The evaluation includes:
- Review of emotional history and symptoms.
- Assessment of frequency, severity, and duration of mood episodes.
- Family and personal medical history.
- Screening for co-occurring conditions like anxiety, PTSD, or substance use.
- Rule-outs for physical health causes such as thyroid issues.
Accurate diagnosis ensures a treatment plan tailored to the specific mood disorder and the client’s needs.
Mood Disorders Treatment Options
What Is Best for Mood Disorders?
The most effective treatment for mood disorders is psychotherapy, often combined with lifestyle changes and, when appropriate, medication.
At Groundbreaker Therapy, we emphasize Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) because it provides tools for mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness — skills that help stabilize mood fluctuations and improve daily functioning.
Other therapies, such as CBT, schema therapy, and trauma-focused approaches, can also be highly effective. Psychiatric medication may be recommended in collaboration with a prescribing provider.
Groundbreaker’s Approach to Mood Disorders
Our specialties include:
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Core skills for managing intense emotions and maintaining stability.
- Counseling for Professionals: Helping lawyers, healthcare providers, business leaders, and creatives balance demanding careers with emotional health.
- Young Professionals’ Mental Health: Supporting adults in their 20s and 30s with identity, career, and relational challenges.
- College Mental Health: Helping students manage academic stress and life transitions while coping with mood instability.
- Anxiety & Depression Treatment: Addressing overlapping symptoms that often accompany mood disorders.
Other therapies we may integrate:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Gold standard for depression and many mood disorders. Helps identify and reframe negative thought patterns, build healthier behaviors, and reduce relapse.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Especially effective when mood disorders are accompanied by emotional dysregulation, self-harm, or impulsive behaviors.
- Interpersonal Therapy (IPT): Strong evidence for depression. Focuses on resolving relationship difficulties and role transitions that contribute to mood episodes.
- Mindfulness Practices: Proven to reduce relapse rates in recurrent depression (Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy). Supports emotional balance and regulation.
- Integrative Therapy: Allows tailoring evidence-based approaches (CBT, DBT, IPT, mindfulness) to fit individual needs and complexities of mood disorders.
Treatment is always individualized, focusing on both reducing symptoms and building long-term resilience.
Living With Mood Disorders
Living with a mood disorder can feel isolating, but many people lead fulfilling, successful lives with the right support. With therapy, clients often:
- Learn to identify triggers and early warning signs.
- Develop routines that support mood stability.
- Build emotional regulation skills to reduce the intensity of mood swings.
- Strengthen relationships through communication and boundaries.
- Replace shame with self-compassion.
- Reconnect with meaning and purpose in life.
Recovery from a mood disorder doesn’t mean eliminating every symptom — it means learning to manage emotions in a way that supports growth and wellbeing.
How Groundbreaker Therapy Can Help
At Groundbreaker Therapy, we provide specialized care for mood disorders, offering:
- DBT expertise for regulating emotions and managing instability.
- Integrative, trauma-informed approaches tailored to each client.
- Specialized counseling for professionals, young adults, and students.
- A validating, supportive environment where healing can happen without judgment.
- Flexible scheduling with in-person and virtual sessions.
If mood swings, depression, or emotional instability are interfering with your life, support is available. Schedule a consultation with Groundbreaker Therapy today and take the first step toward greater balance, stability, and hope.