Mood Disorders Treatment

Florida Center for Recovery treats sufferers of mood disorders with a combination of medication and therapy. Everyone has feelings of sadness or anxiety from time to time. A mood disorder, such as clinical depression, can last for extremely long periods of time. An effective treatment program is designed to help with both the substance abuse and mood disorder issue. Often, a person suffering from a mood disorder will self-medicate with drugs and alcohol in order to neutralize the emotional pain. A licensed medical staff can diagnose mood disorders and medically stabilize each client before the withdrawal phase of addiction treatment is initiated. As the client progresses through his substance abuse treatment, he is also treated for his mood disorder in a way that aids his overall recovery, rather than interfering with it.

Florida Center for Recovery also addresses the client's family members to help them understand the underlying mood disorder. By giving them the knowledge and tools they need to deal with the disorder, they are much better equipped to help the addict in his long-term recovery. This integrated approach is a proven model that has seen much success.

Healing from chemical dependency involves several factors that are outside of what we normally think of as being substance abuse-related. One of those factors is the reality of mood disorders. Mood disorders are sometimes one of the contributing factors leading to chemical dependency, while other times a mood disorder is the result of chemical dependency. In some cases, addicts don't show signs of mood disorders until they begin to withdraw from the chemicals they are addicted to. Understanding mood disorders and their relation to chemical dependency is essential in the integrated model used by Florida Center for Recovery.

Clinical Definition of the Term Mood Disorder

The clinical definition of the term "mood disorder" is a disturbance in a person's mood, which is, or eventually becomes, the underlying cause of a detrimental physical or mental condition. One of the most well-known mood disorders is clinical depression, which can be the underlying cause for a host of physical maladies, including, extreme fatigue, joint and muscle pain, and more. Patients suffering from mood disorders are frequently misdiagnosed as hypochondriacs or attention-seekers. But mood disorders are very, very real. In addition to clinical depression, other examples of well-known mood disorders are:

• Anxiety
• Bipolar Disorder

Substance Induced Mood Disorders

A mood disorder is classified as substance-induced if its roots can be traced directly back to the physiological effects of specific substances the patient is using. For addicts, quite often, such mood disorders first come to light during the process of withdrawal, although that's not always the case. In some patients, mood disorders occur simultaneously with a substance abuse disorder; such a condition is known in the medical community as a "co-disorder." One example of such co-disorders would be a manic episode caused by the use of cocaine.

Regardless of whether a mood disorder exists simultaneously with substance abuse, or doesn't begin to show itself until withdrawal, dealing with the disorder is just as important as dealing with substance abuse. If mood disorders are not properly treated, the addict is much more likely to relapse at a later time. Florida Center for Recovery understands the direct link between chemical dependency and mood disorders, and strives to treat both effectively.

Florida Center for Recovery specializes in treating a wide variety of addictions and co-occurring disorders, for more information on how to get you or your loved one help, e-mail us call us toll-free at: 800-960-5041