A group of medications that includes lithium carbonate, certain anticonvulsants, and the atypical antipsychotics. Mood stabilizers are believed to function at the receptor or intracellular level to prevent the onset of mania or depression in bipolar disorder and are effective in treating the symptoms of mania.
Any agent or therapy that prevents or relieves wide fluctuations in affective range, e.g., as occur in bipolar disorder. Examples of mood stabilizing drugs are carbamazepine and lithium carbonate.