Mood, Personality, and Anxiety Disorders
Offering comprehensive diagnostic testing to provide data-driven answers
for questions about mood, personality, and anxiety from childhood to adulthood
tailored just to you.
What are Mood, Personality, and Anxiety Disorders?
Mood disorders are a category of disorders characterized by impact on your emotional state. This includes depressive disorders, bipolar disorders, and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). They involve unusually low or elevated mood (or both). These conditions can be highly disruptive to many areas of life.
Personality disorders are a category of disorders characterized by rigid, long-lasting patterns of thinking and behaving that are unusual compared to typical experiences. This includes Borderline Personality Disorder, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Dependent Personality Disorder, and more. Individuals with personality disorders may have a unique inner world. They may experience significant distress, relational difficulties, and emotional reactions that feel confusing and hard to control.
Anxiety disorders are a category of disorders characterized by excessive fear and worry. This includes disorders such as Separation Anxiety, Generalized Anxiety, Panic Disorder/panic attacks, Social Anxiety, and Specific Phobias. These disorders may share some symptom overlap with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Different than normal everyday worries, anxiety disorders can be debilitating when left untreated.
A comprehensive psychological evaluation can be useful to correctly diagnose your mood, personality, or anxiety disorder(s). Though diagnosis may sound simple and straightforward, these conditions share similar signs and symptoms which can make it difficult for a mental health professional to diagnose you from a clinical interview alone. Many people have had the experience of a laundry list of diagnoses, none of which feel like quite the right fit. Psychological evaluation provides more objective data that help you and your psychologist determine the correct diagnosis for you. Accurate diagnosis is essential to craft a treatment plan that is effective for you.
Psychological evaluation for mood, personality, and anxiety disorder is especially highly recommended if you experience a treatment refractory (or treatment resistant) condition. If you have tried several forms of treatment without desired results, testing may provide the guidance that you and your treating providers need.
Common Signs of Mood, Personality, and Anxiety Disorders
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Low mood, feeling sad, or feeling blue
Loss of interest in things you usually enjoy
Seasonal pattern of mood changes
Distinct periods of very elevated mood, racing thoughts, or grand ideas
Unusually small amount of sleep, or unusually large amount of sleep
Withdrawing from relationships or activities
Changes in weight or appetite
Indecisiveness
Low motivation
Thoughts of death or suicide (Dial 988 for 24/7 assistance or call 911 in an emergency)
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Difficulties maintaining long-term relationships
Rapid mood changes
Patterns of shifting between guilt and anger
Intense fear of being alone
Intense fear of abandonment
Difficulty making your own decisions
Taking risks
Making decisions that feel difficult to control
Self-harm and thoughts of suicide (Dial 988 for 24/7 assistance or call 911 in an emergency)
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Frequent worrying that is hard to control
Rapid heartbeat, sweating, stomach upset
Feeling restless or on edge
Worrying about many different topics
Insomnia
Panic attacks
Fear of separation from caregivers, crying during separation
Difficulty focusing
Avoiding situations that trigger anxiety
Seeking frequent reassurance
Consistent intrusive thoughts
Feeling an impulse to perform a certain action that brings a feeling of relief
Each individual is unique and it is likely that you or your loved one won’t have all of these specific signs.
Why Songbird Psychological Services?
Efficient
No long waitlists: Immediate appointments are available
Results typically provided in 2 weeks
Evidence-Based
Our experts use the most up-to-date measures with the strongest research support wherever possible
No quick check-lists or guesses; just data-driven, compassionate answers
Empathetic
We center authentic and compassionate care
Culturally responsive, affirming evaluations
What Does Mood, Personality, and Anxiety Testing Involve?
1) Intake Appointment
Your assessment will begin with a clinical intake. This will involve a parent/caregiver clinical interview. We will gather comprehensive, trauma-informed background information and collaborate with you to determine goals for testing. We will also review records from childhood wherever possible to establish a well rounded clinical picture.
2) Testing Appointment
A typical assessment will include
3-6 hours of face-to-face comprehensive testing. This includes cognitive tests, objective and projective personality/mood measures, self- and other- report measures, and other assessments specific to your presenting concerns.
We do not use psychometricians. All of your testing time will be directly with our doctoral-level clinicians.
3) Feedback Session
Two weeks after your testing appointment, we will provide a feedback session to discuss the results of your assessment. Diagnoses and recommendations will be provided and you will have the opportunity to process your results and ask questions.
4) Report and Ongoing Support
After your feedback session, you will be provided with a thorough written report. This details the testing received, results, diagnoses, and recommendations. It is often used to support access to accommodations and to guide treatment planning.
Our experts remain available to you for follow-up questions, support, and advocacy as needed.
Thank you for trusting us with your care
We are honored to serve the autistic community in Vancouver, Washington, and the surrounding Southwest Washington and Portland metro area. Our neurodiversity-affirming practice provides comprehensive mood, personality, and anxiety evaluations for children, adolescents, and adults. We are passionate about providing accessible, high-quality psychological care that celebrates differences while supporting vulnerabilities, and creates space for lasting change through evidence-based treatment.
Our office is conveniently located in downtown Vancouver, WA, just off I-5, making it easy to access from Vancouver, Camas, Washougal, Salmon Creek, Battle Ground, Ridgefield, and Portland, Oregon. Free parking is available in the building parking lot. For clients traveling from Salem, Oregon or Olympia, Washington, we are happy to do our best to accommodate the long travel distance with single-day testing appointments when possible, virtual intakes, and virtual feedback sessions as requested. Whether you're seeking mood testing, personality disorder testing, anxiety testing, or OCD testing we are committed to providing thoughtful, evidence-based evaluations in a welcoming and supportive environment. If you or your child requires specific sensory accommodations, please let us know prior to your appointment.