Mood Disorders including Depression
Understanding persistent changes in mood and finding the right path towards recovery.
Understanding Mood Disorders
Recognising when low mood begins to affect everyday life
Negative emotions are a normal part of daily life, and feeling sad does not necessarily mean that a person is experiencing depression. For many people, sadness passes and their mood improves within a relatively short time. However, when low mood and negative patterns of thinking persist, they can significantly affect a person’s wellbeing and ability to function. Signs may include ongoing sadness, agitation or irritability, feelings of guilt, a loss of interest in people or activities, and a sense of failure or regret. Mood disorders range from mild and persistent low mood through to major depression and bipolar disorder, which can involve distinct episodes of depression and mania.
Treatment and Support
Finding an approach that reflects each person’s needs
There are several effective approaches for treating depression and other mood disorders. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can help people change their relationship with difficult thoughts and emotions while developing healthier, more functional patterns of behaviour. Some people experience deeper or more persistent forms of depression that may not respond sufficiently to standard CBT approaches. In these circumstances, our psychologists may draw on emotion-focused treatments such as Interpersonal Psychotherapy, Emotion-Focused Psychotherapy and Schema Therapy, tailoring treatment to the individual and the patterns contributing to their difficulties.
Anxiety disorders are frequently accompanied by physiological symptoms that may lead to fatigue or even exhaustion. Clinical depression often accompanies many persistent or poorly treated anxiety disorders. For this reason a thorough assessment is crucial to effective treatment outcomes.
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