Mood Stabilizers: When You Cannot Do Without a Specialist

Before any treatment can be discussed — including mood stabilizers — one fundamental question must be answered: what state is the brain in, and why is it functioning the way it is? Without that understanding, any intervention becomes, in Dr. Saулitis's words, mere "intellectualisation" — acting on something without knowing what you are actually dealing with.

Diagnosis belongs to a physician

A diagnosis is always established by a qualified medical specialist. This is not a formality: the same outward signs — anxiety, mood swings, exhaustion — can have entirely different underlying causes. Treatment must target the cause, not just the symptom. Until a diagnosis is in place, no one can know what needs to be "warmed up and what needs to be cooled down."

A broken leg needs a cast, not exercise

Dr. Saулitis uses a straightforward analogy: prevention and psychological work are valuable, but if the leg is broken, you need a cast first. When the brain is in a state where its neurochemical homeostasis is disrupted, it requires medical intervention to recover. Only then can further progress become possible. Psychologists and coaches work with behaviour and thinking — but they do not assess the state of neurons. That is precisely why, in certain conditions, such work "simply misses the target."

When to seek a specialist

Consult a psychiatrist when:

• mood has been unmanageable over a prolonged period despite your own efforts;
• intrusive, spiralling thoughts cannot be stopped by willpower alone;
• neither rest nor adequate sleep restores your baseline functioning;
• psychological or psychotherapeutic work yields no lasting result.

In all these situations, the essential first step is establishing a diagnosis — and only then building a care strategy that, where appropriate, will include mood stabilizers.