Mood Disorders vs. Personality Disorders
With overlapping symptoms and terms, it’s easy to conflate different mental health disorders. While treatment will be determined by mental health professionals, it never hurts to gain knowledge about the type of battle you or your loved one may be facing.
The type of disorder also dictates the majority of treatment. At Sequoia Behavioral Health, we treat a wide range of behavioral, mood, and personality disorders. But in this article, we’ll demystify mood and personality disorders.
Mood disorders affect your emotions which in turn drive your behavior. Personality disorders affect behaviors first. In this blog, we’re going to learn more about these two disorders and what sets them apart.
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What are Mood Disorders?
Mood disorders, often called affective disorders, are defined by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as marked disruptions in emotions. In many mood disorders, you experience severe lows called depression or highs called hypomania or mania. These disruptions last for a long time and can cause issues with daily living.
These disorders have been associated with an increase or decrease in neurotransmitters like serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. These transmitters are often increased or decreased during episodes of mania or depression, respectively.
Mood disorders include:
- Bipolar Disorder
- Depression
- Premenstrual dysphoric disorder
- Seasonal affective disorder
Some medical conditions like brain tumors, delirium, and multiple sclerosis can also lead to mood disorders.
Related Articles: Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Seasonal Affective Disorder
Mood Disorder Symptoms
While symptoms will vary between each mood disorder, the common theme of all of them is that they affect your mood to the point of being disruptive in your daily life. However, how this happens will depend on the disorder.
Common symptoms of depressive episode include:
- Mind fog or memory problems
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Suicidal ideation
- Fatigue
- Persistent sadness or emptiness
- Hopelessness
Common symptoms of manic or hypomanic episodes include:
- Feelings of intense euphoria
- Restlessness and irritability
- Reckless behavior
- Insomnia
- Extreme energy levels
- Racing thoughts
All-in-all, mood disorders affect your emotions. Your emotions, in turn, affects your behavior.
Mood Disorder Treatment
Multiple treatment options are available for people experiencing mood disorders. There are pharmaceutical, psychotherapy, and alternative options for treatment. Your treatment process might look different, and it should be tailored to your specific needs.
Medical treatments can be very effective when coupled with psychotherapy. The medications most commonly prescribed for mood disorders are:
- Mood stabilizers
- Antipsychotics
- Antidepressants
It may take time to figure out what medication is the best fit for you, but with the help of PGx testing, your healthcare provider can accurately find what prescription will work best.
Mood medication on its own can be helpful, but when coupled with psychotherapy, both become more effective. The most common forms of therapy used to treat mood disorders are:
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Psychodynamic Therapy
Each of these modalities has different approaches to the same goal—improving your wellbeing.
Related Articles: Medication Management, Antidepressants
What Are Personality Disorders?
The NIH defines personality disorder as distorted perceptions of reality and abnormal affective behavior, manifesting in maladaptive coping mechanisms and distress.
The various personality disorders cause their own unique challenges, but they are categorized by three clusters: Cluster A, Cluster B, and Cluster C.
These clusters have their unique signs and symptoms, but they all fit the definition of personality disorders.
Personality Disorder Symptoms
People who experience a personality disorder will rarely recognize their maladaptive behavior. According to the NIH, it’s more common for them to recognize issues that are caused by their behaviors. This can include:
- Depression
- Relational hardships
- Poor academic performance
Symptoms of personality disorders can be categorized by what cluster they are in.
Cluster A
Cluster A is considered the eccentric category. People with these disorders will often feel paranoid or suspicious. They may not respond to the input of others or feel indifferent about it.
Cluster A Disorders:
- Paranoid
- Schizoid
- Schizotypal
Common Cluster A Symptoms:
- Reclusiveness
- Suspicion
- Feeling isolated or set apart
- Low sex drive
- Difficult time forming relationships
Cluster B
Cluster B personality disorders are thought of as being explosive, dramatic, and grandiose. These symptoms make it difficult for those experiencing them to engage in meaningful relationships and can cause harm to others.
Cluster B Disorders:
- Antisocial
- Borderline
- Histrionic
- Narcissistic
Common Cluster B Symptoms:
- Self-sabotage
- Intense feelings of fear and abandonment
- Acting upon impulse
- Risky behaviors including arson
- Little to no respect for social norms, laws, and regulations
Cluster C
Cluster C disorders are generally characterized by anxiety and fear.
Cluster C Disorders:
- Avoidant
- Dependent
- Obsessive-compulsive
Common Cluster C Symptoms:
- Inflexibility
- Anxious attachment styles
- Low self-esteem
- Over sensitivity
- Feeling inadequate
Personality Disorder Treatment
Sigmund Freud believed narcissism could not be treated through psychoanalysis. For a long time, all personality disorders were considered untreatable. But it’s becoming more known that they are
Personality disorders are treated in different ways. What treatment you receive depends on your disorder and its severity, as well as where you’re at in life. Treatment usually consists of psychotherapy and medication.
The medication used to treat personality disorders include:
- Anti-anxiety medications
- Antipsychotics
- Antidepressants
- Mood stabilizers
The therapies most used to treat personality disorders include:
- DBT
- CBT
- Modern psychoanalytic therapy
To receive the most out of treatment it’s recommended that you continue psychotherapy for a long time. It’s an uphill battle, but with the right care and support you can manage the symptoms of personality disorder.
Treatment will take a long time, but Sequoia Behavioral Health is dedicated to offering compassionate and individualized treatment for those experiencing a personality disorder. If you are interested in learning how our inpatient and outpatient facilities can help you, contact us today to find out more.
Related Articles: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
What’s The Difference Between Mood and Personality Disorders?
Now that you have a basic understanding of what these disorders entail, let’s see how they’re different.
Length and Intensity of Symptoms
Mood disorders are more easily treated than personality disorders. Someone with a mood disorder can experience long periods in their life where symptoms have seemingly gone away. Or they’ve learned to manage them so well they don’t need treatment. Symptoms can flare up again, but they can be successfully controlled.
The symptoms of personality disorders are often intense and tend to stay for a long time. Symptoms can be managed to a degree, but it usually takes much more work compared to mood disorders.
The Root of the Problem
The biggest difference between mood disorders and personality disorders is the root of the problem.
The distress caused by personality disorders begins with a distorted view of reality that leads to inappropriate or maladaptive behaviors.
In contrast, mood disorders begin with emotions.
For example, depression, a mood disorder, makes people feel depressed and therefore they may stay inside all day. A personality disorder like OCD may keep someone inside all day which makes them depressed.
Length of Treatment
Someone experiencing a personality disorder may need to attend treatment for an extended time. However, someone with a mood disorder may only need to attend therapy during certain times in their life.
Finding Mental Health Support
Personality disorders and mood disorders can be managed. If you or a loved one are suffering from either of these disorders, finding help could make a world of difference.
There are several ways for you to find mental health support. If you’re in crisis, call the SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.
Finding Support at Sequoia Behavioral Health
Live-in facilities increase the likelihood of recovering and maintaining good mental health.
Sequoia Behavioral Health offers three levels of care to get you on the right track and maintain your mental health:
Located in Mesa, Arizona, our compassionate staff is ready to meet you where you’re at and build you a treatment plan that meets your needs directly. Give us a call to see how we can help.
