Mood Disorder Psychiatrist in Derby, CT — When Substances Become the Only Thing That Helps

Derby sits along the Naugatuck River — a working-class city that's been through a lot and doesn't have much patience for pretense. People here know how to get through hard things. And for a lot of people living with an untreated mood disorder, "getting through" has meant finding something that makes the weight bearable. Alcohol. Cannabis. Sometimes prescription medication that wasn't prescribed for this purpose. It's not weakness. It's what happens when something is genuinely wrong and there's no other off switch. The problem is that substances that help in the short run tend to make the underlying mood disorder worse over time — they change the chemistry, disrupt sleep, and make it harder to tell what's actually happening. Sindhia Shyras, APRN is a board-certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner with nine years of experience, and she sees this combination regularly — and without judgment. She works with Derby residents through telehealth and in-person at our New Britain office.

Why Mood Disorders and Substance Use Show Up Together

The connection isn't a coincidence. People with untreated mood disorders — persistent depression, cycling mood, severe anxiety tied to mood — often discover early on that substances provide relief that nothing else does. Alcohol dampens the rumination. Cannabis interrupts the despair. That relief is real, and it makes sense as a coping strategy. But it's a borrowed feeling, not a fixed one. Over time, the same substance that provided relief starts requiring more of itself to produce the same effect — and begins contributing to the low periods it was meant to soften. Getting an accurate assessment of the underlying mood disorder, separate from the substance use, is the work Sindhia does in the evaluation — and it shapes what treatment looks like.

How Sindhia Approaches This Without Judgment

A lot of people with this combination delay getting help because they're afraid of being lectured, or of being told they can't address mood until they're fully abstinent. Sindhia doesn't work that way. She wants to understand the full picture — what the mood disorder looks like, how substances have been used, what's been helpful and what hasn't — and from there she builds a plan that takes both into account. Sometimes that means medication alongside harm reduction. Sometimes it means coordinating with addiction specialists. What it doesn't mean is ignoring the mood disorder until the substance use is resolved, because for a lot of people, the mood disorder is what's driving the substance use in the first place.

What Good Care Actually Changes

When the underlying mood disorder gets treated effectively, a lot of people find that the pull toward substances loses some of its grip. Not because willpower increased — because the thing being medicated decreased. Sleep improves. The weight lifts enough that there's breathing room to make different choices. That doesn't happen in every case, and it's not a substitute for addiction treatment when that's needed. But for many people, mood stabilization is the lever that makes everything else possible. Sindhia accepts Aetna, Cigna, Husky Health, Medicaid, United Healthcare, Anthem, ConnectiCare, and self-pay.

Frequently Asked Questions