Antidepressant and mood stabilizer drugs

Antidepressant and mood stabilizer drugs

Antidepressant and mood stabilizer drugs are used to treat affec-tive disorders—disturbances in mood, characterized by depres-sion or elation.

Pole positions

Unipolar disorders, characterized by periods of clinical depres-sion, are treated with:

·                 selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

·                 MAOIs

·                 TCAs

·                 miscellaneous antidepressants.

Bipolar disorders, characterized by alternating periods of man-ic behavior and clinical depression, are treated with lithium and anticonvulsant drugs.

Other mood stabilizers include divalproex, carbamazepine, and olanzapine.