It can be difficult to tell the difference between mental health conditions, specifically considering the wide range of disorders, conditions, and symptoms that seemingly correlate between one another. Depression, for example, can appear as lasting sadness, but it can also be as extreme as schizophrenic tendencies. Some mental health conditions compound on one another, but if you feel like you are dealing with any mental health condition, it’s important to understand the difference between a personality disorder and a mood disorder.
Talking to a specialist in the right field is the best way to gain insight into what you are facing. When you break down the differences, you can learn about the issues you’re having and finally gain focused help toward your symptoms.
In this article, we’re going to talk about specific mood and personality disorders to help you understand more about potential issues. Hopefully, you’ll be able to determine if your symptoms warrant further discussion with a mental health specialist.
Examples of Mood Disorders
There is a range of mood disorders that can be categorized in different columns. We’ve put together a list of the types of mood disorders below so that you can tell whether you are dealing with something similar.
Types of Mood Disorders
- Depression. Many people receive counseling or take medication for depression, and it’s the most common mood disorder people experience. It’s characterized by feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and an unwillingness to do anything more than exist throughout their day. Depression looks different for everyone, and there are those out there who experience both manic highs and lows. Depression can be triggered by big life events, but those who deal with depression often feel like activities they enjoy are too difficult to continue as before.
- Bipolar Disorder. Often, this is confused with a personality disorder. People with bipolar disorder often experience periods of depression and mania interlocked with exhaustion. Moments of extreme motivation or inspiration can be followed by drastic lows of self loathing. These moods do not last, however, with the low points leading to depression that is deep enough to send them into feeling self-destructive and suicidal.
- Seasonal affective disorder (SAD). This is a type of depression that is triggered by the change in seasons. The darker mornings, dark evenings, and the reduction in overall sunlight hours can cause this to trigger. It can lead to serious depression, and sometimes change depending on weather or seasonal changes.
Examples of Personality Disorders
Personality disorders differ from mood disorders as there are three main categories for personality disorders, which we’ve broken down for you below. They fall into different clusters, and the severity of a personality disorder will largely depend on the individual. The three categories of cluster A personality disorders include:
- Paranoid. Those who have a paranoid personality disorder are known to be distrustful and suspicious of others.
- Schizoid. Those who have schizoid personality disorders are often distant, withdrawn and inward-focused.
- Schizotypal. Those with schizotypal personality disorders have strange beliefs and behaviors. This can include anything from a self-belief that they can see the future, move things with their minds, or read the minds of others.
From here, cluster B personality disorders often lead to emotional, erratic, or even dramatic behavior. The behavior within each disorder is never the same, and can include:
- Borderline personality disorder
- Narcissistic personality disorder
- Antisocial personality disorder
- Histrionic personality disorder
The third segment is cluster C—these are personality disorders that cause distorted patterns of behavior and thinking, which are often dominated by fear and anxiety. These include:
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
- Dependency disorder
- Avoidant personality disorder
Understanding each of these is vital to be able to separate whether you are dealing with a mood or a personality disorder. Further information on borderline personality disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder are below:
Borderline Personality Disorder
This is a mental health condition that alters the way you feel and think about others and yourself. This is a disorder that causes problems with the way you function in everyday life, from self-image issues to difficulty in managing your emotions and behavior. There is often a pattern of unstable relationships in those with borderline personality disorder, and often, those suffering have an intense fear of abandonment.
This can lead to unstable thinking and a difficulty in tolerating being alone. Impulsivity, frequent mood swings and inappropriate levels of anger are all factors to consider. It often begins in early adulthood and continues worsening before getting better with age, support, and therapy.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Known as OCD, this is a disorder that involves a preoccupation with everything being perfect. The problem is that this is a compulsive preoccupation, so the way someone with OCD thinks depends on their rigid beliefs and habits; the need for having control of themselves but also control of others and their situations.
Treatment Options for Mood & Personality Disorders
Treatment options for mood and personality disorders vary, but they are best treated with a range of treatments such as medications and talk therapies. The specific treatment will depend on the person, the disorder, and the help they have previously had—including whether it worked.
Mood disorder treatment is most effective with a combination of therapy and medication. The medication works to relieve symptoms of depression, and therapy can help to change those underlying behaviors and beliefs that contribute to depression in the first place. Some conditions have a much heavier reliance on medication—especially disorders like bipolar disorder.
Those with personality disorders will usually lean on therapy for managing their symptoms. Personality disorders are often developed from psychological responses to big shifts in life. Medication can, for example, help to regulate someone else’s mood, but it cannot change how they maintain relationships.
Reach Out Today
If you are dealing with a mood or personality disorder, the best thing that you can do is reach out for help. Specialists can best determine how to provide treatment and appropriate medications based on your specific needs and symptoms. Contact our team at (619) 333-7050 and visit Alvarado Parkway Institute to begin assessing your mental wellness today.
