Understanding Mood vs. Personality Disorders

Comparing Common Symptoms Across Diagnoses

Symptom	Mood Disorder	Personality Disorder
Emotional highs and lows	Can cycle with episodes (e.g., bipolar screening)	Triggered by relationships or stress
Self-esteem changes	Drops during depressive phases	Chronically unstable or dependent on feedback
Interpersonal sensitivity	May isolate due to low mood	Intense reactions to perceived rejection (borderline traits)
Energy levels	Fatigue or agitation tied to mood episodes	Energy fluctuates with emotional regulation challenges
Treatment focus	Stabilize mood with therapy or medication	Build emotion regulation and relationship skills

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Tools We Use in Assessment

Our clinicians use a combination of diagnostic testing for depression or anxiety, personality inventories, and structured interviews to build a complete picture of your emotional health.

Common tools may include:

MMPI-3 (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory): Identifies emotional and personality patterns.
Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II): Measures intensity of depressive symptoms.
Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ): Screens for bipolar symptoms or mood swings.
Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI): Explores emotional regulation, stress response, and interpersonal functioning.
Clinical Interview: Gathers context about life history, coping patterns, and triggers.

Each mood disorder assessment is tailored to you, combining clinical insight with validated data to help clarify what you’re experiencing.

What Your Results Can Reveal

The results of a mood disorder assessment provide a roadmap for treatment planning. Understanding whether your symptoms stem from depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or borderline traits helps your care team personalize therapy and interventions.

Your assessment results can reveal:

Whether symptoms fit a mood or personality profile
How your stress response impacts emotional regulation
Strengths and coping strategies you already use effectively
Areas where targeted therapy or medication may help most

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FAQs: Mood & Personality Assessments

What is the difference between mood and personality disorders?

Mood disorders, such as depression or bipolar disorder, primarily affect your emotional state, while personality disorders involve long-term patterns in thinking, behavior, and relationships. Because symptoms often overlap, a mood disorder assessment helps clarify where your struggles originate.

Can testing help with treatment planning?

Yes. Testing guides your therapist or psychiatrist in creating a personalized plan—whether that’s talk therapy, DBT skills for emotional instability, or medication for mood regulation. It helps remove guesswork and ensures treatment fits your needs.

Is testing helpful if I already have a diagnosis?

Absolutely. Re-assessment can reveal new insights, confirm earlier findings, or identify co-occurring concerns such as anxiety or borderline traits that might influence care.

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At Indigo, we're serious about smashing barriers to mental health care. We believe therapy should be actually accessible. That's why we're all in on accepting insurance. Because true inclusivity means ensuring everyone can step into our space, get the support they need, and not stress about the price. It's healthcare, plain and simple. And we're here to make it available to literally everyone.