Why should I research different medications for mood disorders?

Several different classes of drugs exist to address mood disorders. Anti-depressents work to help the brain feel more pleasure. Companies have also developed effective mood stabilizers (anti-convulsants) and antipsychotics (also called neuroleptics). Your doctor may prescribe one or more of these to address your specific symptoms.

Researching how each drug targets the neural synapses not only helps you feel more in control of your treatment, it encourages you to remain compliant (and it's interesting)! None of these medications are addictive and they will not change your personality. In fact, some doctors believe that they control problematic symptoms so that your true personality can come to the fore.

Each medication will come with instructions about whether to take them with food or on an empty stomach, in the morning or evening. The instructions will also indicate whether the medication interact with certain foods in a negative way. You may need to avoid some foods, beverages (particularly alcohol) and natural/herbal supplements.