Steady Mood Disorder Treatment Near You in Miramar Beach
Find Steadier Days With Mood Disorder Treatment in Miramar BeachYour Heading Goes Here
Your mood shapes how you sleep, work, and connect with the people you love. Sometimes it swings far higher or lower than usual and stays there. When that happens, a mood disorder may be part of the picture. Mood disorders are health conditions that change how a person feels for days or weeks at a time. They include bipolar disorder, which brings very high energy and low mood, and long-lasting depression.
At Sea Breeze Psychiatry, Dr. Larry De Lay provides mood disorder treatment for adults in Miramar Beach. He’s board certified in psychiatry through the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Our care centers on medication management, with brief psychotherapy available on request. Visits can happen in person or by telehealth for Florida residents.
If you’ve noticed mood changes that worry you or the people around you, we’re glad to listen. Request an appointment with our team to talk about what you’ve been feeling and what support could look like.
Signs of Bipolar Disorder and Other Mood Conditions
Understanding Mood Disorders and How Care Works
A mood disorder is a lasting change in mood that gets in the way of daily life. Treatment can help people feel steadier. Knowing the types, signs, and causes can make it easier to decide when to reach out.
Types and Signs of Mood Disorders
Bipolar disorder is the mood disorder people ask about most, and it comes in three main types. Bipolar I involves manic episodes. Mania is a period of very high energy or irritability, with racing thoughts and little need for sleep. Bipolar II involves hypomania, a milder form of mania, along with low periods. Cyclothymic disorder involves milder highs and lows that don’t reach the level of a full episode.
The signs of bipolar disorder include those highs and the lows that follow. A low can bring sadness, hopelessness, low energy, and trouble focusing. Sleep and appetite may change too. Hypomania can feel productive, so family and friends are often the first to notice a change.
Bipolar disorder is more common than many people expect. According to National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) statistics on bipolar disorder(opens in a new tab), about 4.4% of U.S. adults will have it during their lives.
What Contributes to Mood Disorders
The causes of bipolar disorder aren’t fully understood, and no single factor explains it. Researchers think genes, stress, and differences in how the brain works all play a part. Bipolar disorder often runs in families, though a single gene doesn’t cause it.
A stressful or traumatic event can also bring on an episode in someone who is already at higher risk. Having a risk factor doesn’t mean a mood disorder is certain, and a mood disorder is never a sign of weakness.
When to See a Provider
It’s time to see a provider when mood changes last a week or two. The same goes if they get in the way of work, school, or relationships, or if they worry the people close to you. You don’t need a diagnosis first. Many people come in just wanting to understand what they’re feeling.
These signs can mean it’s time to ask for an evaluation:
- Highs that feel out of character: Days of little sleep with lots of energy, racing thoughts, fast talking, or risky choices.
- Lows that don’t lift: Two weeks or more of sadness, hopelessness, or loss of interest in things you usually enjoy.
- Swings that disrupt daily life: Mood changes that affect your job, your schoolwork, or your relationships.
- Changes other people notice: Family or friends say you seem different from your usual self.
- Questions about your medicine: You take a medicine for mood or sleep and want to check that it still fits.
A psychiatric evaluation is a good first step. It helps sort out what’s going on and what kind of support could help.
How Our Team Treats Mood Disorders
Treatment for mood disorders usually combines medicine with support and regular follow-up. Your plan is built around your history and your goals. Care often starts with a psychiatric evaluation, where your provider looks at your symptoms, your past episodes, and your family history.
Medication management is the core of mood disorder care at our practice. For bipolar disorder, providers often use mood stabilizers or atypical antipsychotics, which also help steady mood. Antidepressants usually aren’t used alone for bipolar disorder because they can sometimes trigger mania, which is one reason an accurate diagnosis matters. Your provider will explain which medication for bipolar disorder fits you, including side effects. The plan can change as your needs change.
Some patients want to lower a dose or come off a medicine. Our team can help with that too, with a plan made together with your provider.
On request, you can add brief psychotherapy (talk therapy) to your medicine. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) looks at how your thoughts, feelings, and actions connect, while supportive therapy gives steady encouragement and guidance. Psychodynamic therapy explores how past experiences shape how you feel now.
Visits take place in person at our Miramar Beach office. Patients who live in Florida can also meet with us through telepsychiatry.
Long-Term Outlook and Ongoing Care
Mood disorders are usually long-term conditions. Care tends to continue over time, with check-ins to adjust treatment as your needs change. Treatment can help people function better and feel better day to day.
Regular follow-up, even during calm stretches, gives your provider a chance to notice early changes. You can see the full list of mental health conditions we treat and how they connect.
Warning Signs and Risks If Untreated
Without treatment, mood disorders can get harder to manage and can affect work, relationships, and safety. The National Institute of Mental Health explains that bipolar episodes tend to become more frequent over time without adequate treatment(opens in a new tab), so early care matters.
Reach out to our team soon if you notice any of these changes:
- Thoughts of death or suicide: Any thoughts of harming yourself or ending your life.
- Days without sleep: Going days with little or no sleep while feeling full of energy.
- Risky choices: Spending, driving, or other decisions that feel out of control.
- Seeing or hearing things that aren’t there: This can happen during severe episodes, and you can read more about psychotic disorders.
- Trouble caring for yourself: Problems with eating, sleeping, or other daily needs.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 (the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline), or call 911 for an emergency.
Care From a Board-Certified Psychiatrist
Lawrence De Lay, MD, has practiced psychiatry since 2008. He is a member of the American Psychiatric Association, the Florida Psychiatric Society, and the Emerald Coast Medical Society.
Our care is for adults 18 and older, and the practice is accepting new patients. Our team puts the patient first, with care that is warm, personal, and supportive.
We're Here to Help
Frequently Asked Questions
Bipolar disorder is a mood condition with swings between very high energy or irritability and periods of depression. These episodes last days to weeks and change how a person sleeps, thinks, and acts. The average age of onset is in the mid-20s, according to the American Psychiatric Association (APA). It differs from everyday ups and downs because the changes are stronger and last longer.
Signs include high energy, racing thoughts, and little need for sleep, as well as sadness, hopelessness, and low energy during a low. A person may feel confident and productive during a high, then very low afterward. The changes can build slowly. A psychiatric evaluation can help sort out whether the pattern points to bipolar disorder or another condition.
Depression involves low moods only. Bipolar disorder also includes episodes of mania or hypomania, and the difference matters for treatment. Antidepressants taken alone can sometimes trigger mania or rapid cycling in people with bipolar disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Rapid cycling means four or more episodes of mania or depression within a year. Some people have had treatment for depression and still don’t feel right. If that’s you, tell your provider about any past stretches of unusually high energy.
No single cause has been found. Genes, stress, and differences in brain structure and function likely all play a part. Bipolar disorder often runs in families. A stressful or traumatic event can bring on an episode in someone with a higher risk. Many people with a family history never develop it.
Mood stabilizers and atypical antipsychotics are the most common medicines for bipolar disorder. Your provider chooses based on your symptoms, your health history, and your goals. The plan is adjusted as your needs change. You can learn how medication management works at our practice.
Yes, if you live in Florida. Telehealth visits are available with Dr. De Lay and with Sarah Miller, a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP). She sees patients by telehealth only. You can also see Dr. De Lay in person at our Miramar Beach office. Our page on telepsychiatry explains how virtual visits work.
Yes, mood disorders are ongoing conditions, but treatment can ease symptoms and help people function better in daily life. Many people do best with steady follow-up, a medicine plan they understand, and support from family or friends. If you’d like to talk about what care could look like for you, our team is here to listen.