Mood Disorder Treatment & Evaluation in Austin and Surrounding Areas
Living with a mood disorder can feel like your inner weather changes without warning—weeks of gray heaviness where everything feels far away, then stretches where your mind is bright, fast, and restless at 2 a.m. You make promises on a good day that feel impossible on a low day. Guilt piles up: “Why can’t I just push through?” You try to out-organize it, out-sleep it, out-willpower it… and still the dial swings. It’s exhausting to explain to people who only see snapshots and not the pattern.
What most people miss: mood disorders aren’t “moodiness” or a character flaw. They’re real, body-brain cycles that shift energy, sleep, and thinking—sometimes subtly, sometimes like a riptide. You might cancel plans you wanted, overcommit when you’re up, second-guess your diagnosis, or silently wonder if this is “just life.” If this sounds familiar, reach out. I’ll meet you exactly where you are and help you find steadier ground so your days feel more yours again.
Understanding Mood Disorders
Plain-English definition: Mood disorders are a group of mental health conditions that cause significant changes in emotional state, ranging from extreme sadness to periods of elevated mood or irritability.
How they appear in adults: While stereotypes focus on extreme behaviors, many adults experience mood disorders in more subtle ways — ongoing irritability, loss of motivation, or cycles of burnout followed by bursts of productivity.
Common symptoms include:
Persistent sadness or emptiness
Loss of interest in enjoyable activities
Periods of unusually high energy, impulsivity, or restlessness
Changes in appetite, sleep, or energy levels
Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
Why they’re often missed: Mood disorders can be mistaken for stress, personality quirks, or even physical health issues. Many people adapt their lives around their symptoms without realizing treatment could greatly improve stability and quality of life.
My Diagnostic Process
Comprehensive intake — reviewing your history, current challenges, and triggers.
Evidence-based assessments — validated tools to identify patterns and severity.
Differential diagnosis — ruling out medical conditions or other psychiatric disorders with overlapping symptoms.
Personalized plan — crafting a treatment strategy tailored to your needs and goals.
Treatment Tailored to You
Medication management: When appropriate, to stabilize mood and reduce symptom intensity.
Therapy approaches: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), interpersonal therapy, and other evidence-based modalities.
Lifestyle changes: Sleep optimization, exercise routines, and nutrition support to promote emotional stability.
Adaptive strategies: Tools to recognize early warning signs and prevent relapse.
Why My Practice is Different
Most online resources on mood disorders are either overly technical or so general they don’t actually help you take the next step. I focus on giving you the right mix of education and actionable tools so you:
Understand how mood disorders affect you specifically
See a clear set of treatment options that fit your lifestyle
Gain confidence that change is possible before we even start formal treatment
Actionable Steps You Can Take Today — Mood Disorders
1) Safety first
If you feel at risk of harming yourself or others: get to a safe place and contact local emergency services. In the U.S., call/text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).
Create a one-screen safety plan in your notes: warning signs → three people to contact → places you can go → steps that calm your body.
Remove or lock up anything you might use impulsively when distressed.
2) Learn your pattern (it’s a cycle, not a flaw)
Write your last three mood swings (date, what was happening, sleep, substances, stressors).
Circle early clues you often miss: changes in sleep, energy, spending, irritability, withdrawal, or feeling “sped up.”
Keep this list somewhere visible; prevention starts with noticing early.
3) Anchor your day with Social Rhythm “bookends”
Same wake time every day (±30 minutes), even if sleep was rough.
Morning light within 30 minutes of waking (outdoor light or bright window for 5–10 minutes).
First meal + movement within 90 minutes (even a 5-minute walk).
Wind-down at the same time nightly (screens low, lights dim, gentle activity).
Protect these four anchors first; let other plans flex around them.
4) If you’re in a low/flat phase (depressed)
Microwave-size tasks: pick one task under 5 minutes (shower, send one email, take a brief walk). Completion > volume.
Behavior before motivation: set a 3–minute timer and begin. Momentum often follows action.
Energy-matching movement: if heavy, do the lightest version (stretch in bed, hallway lap). Aim for consistency, not intensity.
Sunlight & posture: open blinds; sit upright for 3 minutes; stand while texting.
Anti-rumination cue: when you catch looping thoughts, say “Park it,” write a 1-line summary, and return at a scheduled 10-minute “worry window.”
5) If you’re in a high/activated phase (hypomanic/manic/mixed)
Sleep is the brake: prioritize an early wind-down; lower lights, stop caffeine/stimulants, avoid late-night screens.
Slow your environment: quiet music, fewer tabs, one conversation at a time, dim room.
Delay accelerants: postpone alcohol, intense exercise at night, and big social plans for 48 hours.
Decision freeze: no major purchases, bookings, or life decisions without a 48-hour hold and a check with a trusted person.
Money/app guardrails: remove payment details from shopping apps, set low transaction alerts, disable “one-click” buys.
6) The 3–2–1 calm reset (works for lows or highs)
3 minutes of longer-exhale breathing (inhale 4, exhale 6–8).
2 minutes of slow movement (neck rolls, shoulder circles, gentle walk).
1 minute of grounding (name out loud: five things you see; or hold a cool glass).
7) Eat for steadier energy
Regular fuel every 3–4 hours; include protein + complex carbs + fluids.
Front-load calories earlier in the day; lighter at night.
Reduce alcohol (can deepen lows, loosen brakes during highs) and caffeine after noon.
8) Light and dark hygiene
Morning: bright light anchors circadian rhythm; open curtains immediately.
Evening: turn down house lights 90 minutes before bed; switch screens to warm/night mode.
Consider blue-light blockers after sunset if you must use devices.
9) Thought tools when your mind won’t cooperate
Name & separate: “I’m noticing the thought that… (I’m failing / I must act now).”
Label extremes: “This is depression talking,” or “This is the accelerator talking.”
Two-column check: write the thought; next to it, write the most neutral alternative, not a rosy one.
10) Build a values micro-menu
Write 5 values (e.g., family, learning, health, kindness, craft).
Each value gets one 5-minute action (text a check-in, read one page, cut fruit, send a thank-you, tidy one surface).
Pick one when stuck; values-driven actions nudge mood more reliably than willpower.
11) People regulate people
Choose two steadying contacts. Agree on a simple code:
🟡 = “please check in when free”, 🟢 = “I’m okay”, 🔴 = “need a call now”.
Ask for specific help: “Can you stay on the phone while I start my wind-down?” Specific asks get better support.
12) Track just enough (not everything)
Each evening, jot mood (–5 to +5), sleep hours, one helpful thing, one trigger.
Look for cause-and-effect, not perfect data: “> +3 mood days follow <6 hours sleep” or “–3 days follow skipped meals.”
13) Know your personal red/yellow/green signs
Green: engaged, steady pace, sleeping 7–9 hours.
Yellow (low): skipping meals, staying in bed late, canceling everything.
Yellow (high): fewer hours of sleep, overscheduling, fast talking.
Red: no sleep 24–48h, risky behavior, thoughts of harm.
Make if–then plans for each yellow sign (if sleep <6h, then cancel morning plans and nap early afternoon; if spending urge, then hand card to partner).
14) Gentle environments
Low phase: warm light, soft music, tidy one small area, shower before noon.
High phase: cool/dim light at night, fewer sounds, slower spaces, shorter social windows.
15) Work/School guardrails
Break work into 25/5 (25 minutes focus, 5 rest).
During highs: cap meetings, avoid taking on new projects at night.
During lows: ask for clear priorities and one next step per task.
16) Movement without boom–bust
Set a minimum you can do even on bad days (e.g., 5-minute walk).
On good days, do a little more, not a lot more; avoid the crash that follows overdoing it.
17) Menstrual-cycle awareness (if applicable)
Track mood across the cycle; note late-luteal shifts.
Pre-plan lighter load and extra sleep/nutrition on the 3–5 days symptoms tend to spike.
18) Media hygiene
Mute accounts that trigger comparison or agitation.
Create a safe playlist or nature video you only use for wind-down; let your brain associate it with “slowing.”
19) After a tough day, close the loop
Write two lines: “What nudged my mood?” and “What helped even 1%?”
Do one comfort ritual (warm drink, brief stretch, tidy desk) to signal “day is done.”
20) Know when to escalate support
Urgent signs: days without sleep, rapid spending or risky behavior, persistent thoughts of harm, inability to perform basics (eat, hydrate, hygiene).
If these appear, prioritize immediate evaluation and crisis resources (in the U.S., 988 is available 24/7).
Mood Disorders Often Come with Company
Mood disorders can co-occur with anxiety disorders, ADHD, PTSD, substance use disorders, and sleep disturbances. Treating mood disorders effectively means addressing the full picture, not just the most obvious symptoms.
Serving Austin and Beyond
I provide mood disorder treatment for clients in:
Austin, Barton Creek, Bastrop, Bee Cave, Bertram, Blanco, Briarcliff, Brushy Creek, Buda, Burnet, Cedar Park, Circle C, Creedmoor, Dripping Springs, Elgin, Florence, Georgetown, Granger, Great Hills, Hays, Hutto, Jarrell, Johnson City, Jonestown, Jollyville, Kyle, Lago Vista, Lakeway, Leander, Liberty Hill, Lockhart, Luling, Manor, Marble Falls, Martindale, Meadowlakes, Mountain City, Mustang Ridge, New Braunfels, Niederwald, Pflugerville, Point Venture, River Place, Rollingwood, Round Rock, San Marcos, Smithville, Steiner Ranch, Sunset Valley, Taylor, The Domain, The Hills, Thrall, Volente, Webberville, Weir, West Lake Hills, Wimberley, Woodcreek, Zilker, and throughout all of Texas!