Mood Disorders

Mood disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder, are characterized by extreme mood states that are not controllable and which interfere with daily living.  Depressed persons may feel sad, distressed, and hopeless even though there is no reason for them to feel that way.  People with bipolar disorder may experience abnormally high energy and an elevated sense of mood and self that interferes with their ability to make reasonable choices.  Mood disorders are common and treatable medical illnesses.

All treatment offered by Penn Behavioral Health is informed by the cutting edge research conducted in the Department of Psychiatry. Patients can elect to receive treatment through one of our excellent clinical programs or, if eligible, may receive treatment as a participant in a research trial at no cost.  Please see below for descriptions of our clinical and research treatment programs.

Penn Behavioral Health Clinical Programs

  • Center for Cognitive Therapy
    Outpatient treatment for psychological and psychiatric disorders including mood disorders; treatment is based on cognitive behavioral therapy model.
  • Mood Disorders Treatment Center 
    Outpatient consultation service that provides comprehensive, state-of-the-art assessments and second opinions for individuals with mood and anxiety disorders, including: bipolar disorder, major depression, dysthymia, mood disorders secondary to medical conditions and anxiety disorders.
  • Outpatient Psychiatry Center
    Offers comprehensive psychiatric services, including diagnostic evaluations, psychotherapy service, medication management, group and couples therapy for the spectrum of psychiatric disorders. The OPC offers specialized treatment of depression (including treatment resistant depression) and bipolar disorder.
  • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Treatment Program
    Novel, non-invasive, outpatient-based form of brain stimulation therapy for mood disorders, including major depression, bipolar depression, and a number of other neuropsychiatric disorders. 

Clinical Research Treatment Programs

  • Bipolar Research Program
    Offers low-cost outpatient treatment for eligible individuals ages 18 and older suffering from bipolar disorders. The program is part of the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder (STEP-BD), a national treatment monitoring study designed to improve understanding of how various medications and combinations of medication work in real life settings.
  • Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress
    The objective of the CNDS is to spur new research on the science and treatment of affective disorders.
  • Depression Research Unit
    The DRU studies depression and bipolar disorder from many different perspectives in order to better understand and treat these illnesses. Various treatment options are available to research participants at no cost. Please call (215) 662-3462 for more information about this program.
  • Mood and Anxiety Disorders Treatment and Research Program
    The research group specializes in studying causes and treatments of depression and anxiety disorders across the lifespan. Eligible research participants are offered treatment at no cost.
  • Center for Psychotherapy Research
    The Center for Psychotherapy Research offers free psychotherapeutic treatment and/or medication in exchange for participation in studies of depression.
  • rTMS for Depression in Pregnancy Study

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