Mood disorders can significantly affect a person’s ability to function in daily life, manage relationships, and maintain emotional balance. For individuals living with conditions like bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, or severe depression, mood stabilizers can be an essential part of an effective treatment plan. Understanding common mood stabilizers and their indications is crucial for effectively navigating your treatment plan. These medications work by helping regulate extreme highs and lows, supporting emotional stability, and improving overall quality of life.
At Excel Behavioral Health, we understand how overwhelming a new diagnosis or treatment plan can feel. That’s why we aim to provide education and compassionate care to guide you through each step of recovery. In this article, we’ll explain what mood stabilizers are, explore common types, and discuss what conditions they treat.
What Are Mood Stabilizers?
Mood stabilizers are psychiatric medications used to treat and manage mood swings—particularly in people with bipolar spectrum disorders. These drugs help balance brain chemistry and reduce the intensity and frequency of mood episodes. They can help prevent manic highs, depressive lows, or rapid mood cycling, depending on the individual’s diagnosis.
Unlike antidepressants or antipsychotics (which may target specific symptoms), common mood stabilizers work more broadly by regulating the brain’s neurotransmitters, including dopamine, serotonin, and glutamate. They are often used as long-term maintenance medications and can be highly effective when combined with therapy and supportive care.
Common Mood Stabilizers and What They Treat
Several categories of medications act as mood stabilizers. Each works a little differently and may be prescribed depending on your symptoms, diagnosis, and overall health profile.
1. Lithium
Lithium is one of the oldest and most common mood stabilizers. Doctors have prescribed it for decades to treat bipolar disorder—specifically to prevent manic and depressive episodes. Lithium can reduce the risk of suicide in people with mood disorders and is often effective when other medications fail.
Patients taking lithium require regular blood tests to monitor dosage levels and ensure kidney and thyroid function remains stable. When monitored correctly, lithium can be a life-changing tool in mood stabilization.
2. Anticonvulsants (Anti-Seizure Medications)
Several anticonvulsant medications, originally developed to treat epilepsy, also work well as mood stabilizers. Common examples include:
- Valproate (Depakote): Often prescribed for manic episodes in bipolar disorder.
- Lamotrigine (Lamictal): Particularly effective for bipolar depression and long-term maintenance.
- Carbamazepine (Tegretol): Sometimes used for patients with treatment-resistant mood swings or mixed episodes.
These medications work by calming overactive brain activity that contributes to mood instability. Like lithium, some anticonvulsants require regular blood tests to ensure safe use.
3. Atypical Antipsychotics
Although not traditionally classified as mood stabilizers, many newer antipsychotic medications have mood-stabilizing properties and are often used to treat bipolar disorder or schizoaffective disorder. Examples include:
- Quetiapine (Seroquel)
- Olanzapine (Zyprexa)
- Risperidone (Risperdal)
- Aripiprazole (Abilify)
These medications may be used alone or in combination with traditional mood stabilizers to manage severe symptoms such as psychosis, mania, or agitation.
4. Combination Therapy
For many patients, a combination of mood stabilizers and other psychiatric medications—like antidepressants or antipsychotics—may be most effective. It’s not uncommon for individuals with complex mood disorders to require a customized medication plan monitored by a psychiatrist.
What Do Mood Stabilizers Treat?
Mood stabilizers are most commonly used to treat:
- Bipolar I and II Disorder: Mood stabilizers help manage manic, hypomanic, and depressive episodes. They are often used during acute phases and for long-term maintenance of bipolar disorder.
- Schizoaffective Disorder: In this condition, which combines symptoms of schizophrenia and mood disorder, mood stabilizers help manage mood components like depression or mania.
- Cyclothymia: A milder form of bipolar disorder, cyclothymia features frequent mood shifts. Mood stabilizers help even out these fluctuations.
- Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD): Some mood stabilizers may help manage emotional instability and impulsivity in individuals with BPD, though therapy remains the first-line treatment.
- Severe Depression (with mood swings): For individuals whose depression includes mood instability or mixed features, mood stabilizers can help level out emotions and improve treatment outcomes.
Important Considerations
Mood stabilizers are not a one-size-fits-all solution. Finding the right medication can take time, and treatment success often depends on the proper dosage, lifestyle changes, and therapeutic support. Patients must work closely with a psychiatrist for ongoing medication management, especially since many mood stabilizers require routine blood work or careful monitoring.
It’s also essential to never stop taking a mood stabilizer abruptly. Sudden withdrawal can trigger severe mood episodes or other health complications. If you experience side effects or have concerns about your medication, always consult your treatment provider before making any changes.
A Whole-Person Approach to Mood Stabilizers for Mood Disorders
At Excel Behavioral Health, we recognize that medications alone are often insufficient to address the full range of behavioral health needs. That’s why we provide comprehensive mental health treatment that includes therapy, psychiatric care, and holistic support. Whether you’re starting your mental health journey or seeking a new path forward, our team will work with you to develop a personalized treatment plan tailored to your unique needs.
We offer various levels of care, including Partial Hospitalization (PHP), Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP), and individual therapy, so you can access the level of support that’s right for you. Our psychiatric team provides expert medication management, and our therapists use evidence-based modalities like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to support long-term healing.
Contact Excel Behavioral Health Today for Comprehensive Mood Stabilizer Treatment
If you or someone you love is struggling with a mood disorder, you don’t have to face it alone. Common mood stabilizers can be an essential part of treatment—but having the right support makes all the difference.
Contact Excel Behavioral Health today to learn more about our mental health services and how we can help you regain balance, stability, and control. Our caring team is here to answer your questions and guide you toward a healthier future.
