I'm no doctor and didn't play one on TV, but I do have some experience here which leads me to disagree with you, from the standpoint of SSRI's being used to regular mood by way of regulating anxiety. Anxiety leads to mood elevation, i.e. stress. Reduce the sensitivity to anxiety and stress, and you proactively regulate the mood. SSRI's are often used in exactly this way.
Both my wife and daughter, due to two different health conditions that were aggravated by stress and anxiety, have been prescribed maintenance doses of SSRIs like Prozac, Lexapro, Zoloft, and Cymbalta (they had to change them regularly because each became less effective over time), in order to soften or regulate their emotional swings, without turning them into zombies like conventional mood regulators are prone to do. They weren't depressed and weren't being treated for depression or anxiety disorder, these were strictly for proactive emotional regulation.
With mood regulators there are pretty much no highs or lows -- just flat. That's not what you want in an otherwise high-functioning individual, you just want something to take the edge off and shorten the swings. Obviously if someone suffers from a severe mood disorder, particularly severe lows as opposed to high anxiety, they need stronger mood regulation, but regulating seratonin uptake is an affective treatment at regulating moods in a more moderate fashion, particularly as relates to stress.
A whole slew of doctors between them described these SSRI regimens exactly in words such as "taking the edge off," "keeping an even keel," etc. when prescribing my wife and daughter. I've witnessed them experience the benefit of it, so I know that it works as an effective treatment. Their doctors avoided Lithium and other such mood stabilizers for the very reason that it's more difficult to remain highly functional and focused on such drugs.
