Mood disorders and personality disorders can lead to much distress in a woman’s or girl’s life. A number of mental health disorders fall into these two categories, but all can impact a girl’s or woman’s psychological, emotional, and cognitive well-being.

Personality disorders and mood disorders can interfere with your ability to function. Your thoughts can become overwhelming and negatively impact the way that you view the world around you. Distorted thought patterns can lead to negative consequences and impact your ability to live a fulfilling life.

Common Signs & Symptoms of Mood Disorders

There are a number of signs and symptoms that can indicate a woman or girl is suffering from a mood disorder. The specific signs and symptoms will vary depending on the type of mood disorder she is suffering from, such as whether she is struggling with depression or is in a manic state as the result of bipolar disorder.

Examples of mood disorder symptoms may include:

Rapid changes in mood with no apparent cause
Engaging in reckless and unsafe behaviors
Inability to sleep or sleeping excessively
Weight gain or weight loss due to changes in eating patterns
Debilitating feelings of sadness
Periods of extreme energy
Decline or increase in self-esteem
Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed
Taking on many projects but failing to complete them

Common Signs & Symptoms of Personality Disorders

Similar to mood disorders, the signs and symptoms that can show a girl or woman may be suffering from a personality disorder will be different depending on the type of personality disorder she is struggling with.

If you are concerned that someone has a personality disorder, the examples of symptoms listed below can help you determine if treatment might be necessary.

Lack of healthy boundaries
Believing that others are out to harm you
Being suspicious when others show you a sense of loyalty
Lacking interest in relationships
Placing an unhealthy level of focus on relationships
Impulsive and risky behaviors
Fragile self-esteem
Fear of abandonment
Lack of remorse for behaviors

How Common Are Mood Disorders & Personality Disorders?

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) offers the following statistics on the prevalence of mood disorders among adults:

Approximately 9.7% of adults in the United States had a type of mood disorder in the year prior to the study.
Women suffer from mood disorders at a much higher rate (11.6%) than men do (7.7%).
It is estimated that 21.4% of adults in the United States will experience some type of mood disorder during their lifetime.

In adolescents, NIMH provides the following mood disorder statistics:

An estimated 14.3% of adolescents have a type of mood disorder.
Approximately 11.2% of adolescents who have a mood disorder suffer from severe impairment as a result.
Adolescent females struggle with mood disorders at a higher rate than male adolescents do, 18.3% compared to 10.5%.

The NIMH also offers statistics regarding the number of people who suffer from personality disorders.

According to the National Comorbidity Study Replication, 9.1% of adults in the United States have some form of personality disorder. While researchers believe that personality disorders may develop during the teen years, adolescent girls typically aren’t diagnosed with a personality disorder until adulthood.

Effects of Mood Disorders & Personality Disorders

When a woman or girl is suffering from a mood disorder or the symptoms of a personality disorder, it is important that they receive treatment. If they do not, they are at risk for experiencing a number of negative effects, including:

Inability to develop and maintain healthy relationships
Inability to succeed in school or at work
Abuse of drugs or alcohol
Experiencing symptoms of other mental health concerns
Low sense of self-worth
Suicidal ideation
Suicide attempts

How to Choose a Mood Disorder or Personality Disorder Treatment Center

Everyone’s experience with mood disorders and personality disorders is different. Because of that, the way a woman or girl responds to treatment will also be different.

It is important to find a mood disorder treatment center or personality disorder treatment center that individualizes treatment based solely on your needs.

At Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center, we offer two levels of evidence-based treatment that are effective in treating mood disorders and personality disorders.

Our residential program offers women and girls round-the-clock treatment in a safe and welcoming environment. We use a trauma-informed approach to treatment that is tailored specifically for females.

Our partial hospitalization program (PHP) is a daylong program available to women age 18 and older. While in this program, women have the freedom to return home at the end of the treatment day, or they may choose to take advantage of our on-campus housing.

To find out more about each level of care, or to discuss which option may be best for you, please feel free to contact us at any time.

Types of Therapies Used to Treat Mood Disorders & Personality Disorders

Our treatment center develops individualized treatment plans that will best address your specific needs. Included within this plan are therapies that are proven to be effective in the treatment of personality disorders and mood disorders, including:

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
Motivational interviewing
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
Group, individual, and family therapy sessions
Resilience building
Experiential therapies

How to Start the Mood Disorder & Personality Disorder Treatment Process

To begin mood disorder treatment or personality disorder treatment, you can simply call us at your convenience. At that point, we will begin a thorough review of your needs and determine if our treatment center is the right fit for you. A general overview of the steps you can expect to take at the start of the treatment process includes:

Completing an assessment over the phone
Learning about our admissions process
Arriving at our treatment center and meeting our staff and other residents
Becoming familiar with our treatment center’s environment
Completing medical and psychological evaluations
Working with a team member to create an individualized mood disorder treatment plan or personality disorder treatment plan
Beginning treatment