Depression and Mood Disorder Therapy in Chicago, IL
Depression & Mood Disorders
Depression can pull you away from the people and activities you love. Our depression counseling and mood disorder therapy in Chicago helps you find connection again.
What is depression?
Depression has physical and emotional effects. It changes how we relate to others and our ability to get through the day.
Depression is more than sadness. It's a persistent state of low mood and loss of interest or pleasure in activities you once enjoyed.
Depression can include:
lack of energy
change in eating or sleeping habits
thoughts of suicide
isolation
feeling hopeless
Types of depression
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MDD brings a low mood and loss of interest that lasts for at least two weeks and gets in the way of daily life. It can show up as fatigue, changes in sleep or appetite, and feelings of worthlessness. In therapy, you learn to identify the thoughts and patterns behind these episodes and build coping skills that help you feel more like yourself.
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Dysthymia is a lower-grade depression that lingers for two years or more. The symptoms may feel less intense than MDD, but their steady presence can wear you down and make hard days feel normal. Therapy helps you name what you have been carrying, challenge long-held beliefs, and create routines that support a steadier mood.
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Bipolar Depression involves shifts between depressive lows and periods of elevated or irritable mood. These changes can feel confusing and hard to predict. Through therapy you can learn to recognize your triggers and early warning signs, maintain stability between episodes, and develop tools to manage the ups and downs.
What are mood disorders?
Mood disorders include depression, persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia), bipolar disorder, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) among others. Persistent depressive disorder is a chronic, long-term form of depression that lingers for two years or more, and its steady presence can quietly wear you down over time.
Mood disorders affect how you feel emotionally and can include feeling very sad or very happy often for weeks at a time.
Depression and Mood disorders are mental health conditions that can feel unmanageable. Symptoms can look like:
low mood or a sadness that won’t go away
fatigue and no desire to engage in even the activities you normally enjoy
feeling happy one moment and sad the next without understanding why
feeling that you will never get better
Through therapy you can learn to recognize triggers, mood changes, maintain routines, and build coping skills to live the life you want.
How we treat depression and mood disorders
We use evidence-based methods and match the approach to what you need.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps you notice the thought patterns behind low mood and replace them with more balanced ways of thinking, so hard days feel more manageable.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) works with the memories and experiences that keep depression in place, helping your brain process them so they lose their grip.
Somatic Therapy brings attention to how mood lives in your body, teaching you to work with the physical side of depression and regulate your nervous system.
Together we choose the approach, or blend of approaches, that fits your history and your goals.