Mood Disorder Treatment
The term “mood disorders” refers broadly to all mood-related illnesses. There are many kinds of mood disorders, including major depression and complicated bereavement. Though each of these illnesses is different in its symptoms, all are alike in the stress and suffering that they cause. Every veteran needs to have their own specific mood disorder treatment customized for their needs.
At Solara Mental Health, we know how disruptive mood disorders can be in our veterans’ everyday lives. These disorders keep them from attaining professional or social goals, coping with day-to-day life or even alter their entire sense of self-perception or their worldview. Our mood disorder treatments in San Diego depend on the specific diagnosis of symptoms.
Mood Disorders
A mood disorder can affect children, teens, and adults. While symptoms are similar in mood disorders, it is harder to distinguish and diagnose a teen or a child because they are not always able to express how they feel. Mood disorders can range from making an individual feeling very depressed to extremely irritable or manic. The most common types of mood disorders include depression, major depression, bipolar disorders, and complicated bereavement which are listed below.
Depression
Depression is a highly prevalent and often debilitating mood disorder. It causes an individual to constantly feel sad and cause them to lose interest in day-to-day activities that were otherwise enjoyable. Not everyone experiences the same symptoms but depression can cause a multitude of different symptoms. Some fo the more common ones include:
- Anxious/empty mood
- Feeling of hopelessness
- Irritability
- Feeling of guilt
- Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies activities
- Decreased energy or fatigue
- Moving or talking slowly
- Loss of appetite
- Difficulty sleeping, eating, concentrating
- Suicidal thoughts or attempts
- Aches or pains, headaches, cramps without clear physical cause
Major Depression
Major depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the U.S. Major depressive disorder can cause an individual difficulty in carrying out common life tasks or activities. In 2011, a study an estimated 11 million U.S. adults aged 18 or older reported having one major depressive episode with a severe impairment which represented 4.5% of all U.S. adults. Feeling sad at times is a part of life but an individual should not feel sad or low for a ling period of time.
A few symptoms to look out for include:
- Persistent feelings of sadness, emptiness and hopefulness
- Reduction or complete loss of interest in relationships, interests, activities that otherwise felt enjoyable
- Significant increase or decrease in sleep
- Fatigue, listlessness, and general loss of energy
- Irritability or anger
- Memory problems and general slowness in cognitive function
- Unwarranted feelings of guilt and worthlessness
- Changes in appetite, including both overeating or under eating
- Thoughts of death or suicide
Bipolar Disorder
Formally known as Manic Depression, Bipolar Disorder is a psychological condition in which an individual experiences shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, concentration, and the ability to carry out day-to-day activities. The most common indicator of Bipolar Disorder includes severe mood swings that include manic episodes and depressive episodes. Symptoms of bipolar disorder range in variety from person to person and are classified in four types:
- Bipolar I Disorder: Manic episodes may be accompanied by psychosis. Manic episodes typically last a week, whereas depressive episodes last roughly two weeks.
- Bipolar II Disorder: More commonly seen in women, this type experiences major depressive episodes with ‘hypomanic’ episodes. Hypomanic episodes usually last about four days and are milder than full-blown manic episodes. Depressive episodes typically last a couple of weeks.
- Cyclothymic Disorder: People with cyclothymia may experience a month or two of stable moods. Symptoms of hypomania and bipolar depression are usually less severe than the other two types but may occur more often.
- Not elsewhere classified: Any other types that do not meet the above circumstances are listed here (such as bipolar mood changes induced by drugs or another disease).
Complicated Bereavement
Grief, otherwise known as Complicated Bereavement, is a mood disorder characterized by yearning and longing due to the loss of a loved one. Losing a loved one can be a painful, heartbreaking, and even traumatic experience. Although many people go through it, some can face a harder time coping with this loss. Complicated bereavement disrupts this process, keeping those struggling with it from overcoming the pain of their loss thus not being able to function normally in everyday life.
Symptoms of complicated bereavement include:
- Intense sorrow and emotional pain in response to the death
- Anxiety
- Marked difficulty accepting death
- Disbelief or emotional numbness over the loss
- Bitterness or anger related to loss
- A desire to die in order to be with the deceased.
- Difficulty trusting other individuals since the death.
- Inability to trust or connect with others
- Feeling that life is meaningless or empty without the deceased or the belief that one cannot function without the deceased.
- Confusion about one’s role in life or a diminished sense of one’s identity
- Physical symptoms, such as extreme fatigue, weight changes, nausea, and muscle pain
Mood Disorder Treatment Details
At Solara Mental Health, we tailor our mood disorder treatment plans to the individual, helping each veteran work through their own specific symptoms and create a plan to manage those symptoms in their day-to-day lives. These personalized treatment programs are aided by the residential nature of our program, which allows veterans to have individual, compassionate support whenever needed. Similarly, the staff at our psychiatric facility specializes in mood disorder treatment and are experts in helping veterans find stability, well-being and peace.
Medication
Often mood disorder medication is a vital, even life-saving, part of recovery. At our mental health treatment facility, our inpatient program allows our onsite psychiatrists to administer and closely monitor medication on a day-to-day basis. This helps us to find the medication regimen that is best suited to the veteran’s specific symptoms and needs.
Individual Therapy
Individual psychotherapy has been shown to be a crucial part of effective mood disorder treatment, even for those whose symptoms are primarily managed through medication. At Solara, we utilize a combination of intensive individual psychotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which help veterans better understand their symptoms and any underlying causes of their mood disorder. This, along with developing new, healthy coping mechanisms that are the foundation for long-lasting recovery.
Group Therapy
Don’t feel alone while you grieve over the loss of a loved one. The best thing to do is gather support from friends, family, therapists or people who have gone through something similar. Being surrounded by a support system and people who have gone through a loss can help you get through yours.
At Solara Mental Health, we offer a range of group therapies where veterans can explore their specific diagnosis with a group of understanding peers. Group therapy is a safe space, one where veterans can feel supported, respected, and no longer isolated. Our therapy groups are designed to target a specific problem and in this case, can help with complicated bereavement.
Holistic Care
Physical and mental health have a very close relationship. Although physical care— such as good nutrition and regular exercise—can seem insignificant compared to the emotional and mental symptoms of a mood disorder, physical care can drastically improve quality of life. Solara offers a variety of holistic therapies designed to help veterans heal physically, including physical exercise classes, yoga, and meditation. Our private chefs also prepare wholesome, delicious meals that will contribute to a veteran’s overall well-being.
While our veterans make considerable and rapid improvements, mood disorder is often a long-term condition. Through years of experience, our mental health treatment center has learned how to provides the entire spectrum of care for our veterans. From inpatient to outpatient, from transitional living to a long-term aftercare plan, our program has been designed to free our veterans from the clutches of mood disorder.
Contact us now to start the healing process.
Proudly Serving Veterans
with TriWest Insurance
