At last, a clinician’s guidebook to prescription dilemmas. Psychotropic medications prescribed to treat mental disorders have become increasingly commonplace over the past half century, but the decision-making process for doing so continues to lack real clarity. Clinicians and patients alike face new challenges and questions thanks to the increasing availability of these drugs: When is the right time to prescribe something? Can I predict which drug will help this individual? When do I consider changing a medication? How do I assess whether a drug’s side effects make it worthwhile or not? The response to these challenging questions is not to stop medicating altogether. Psychotropic medications are useful clinical tools. But now more than ever we must consider what it means to medicate judiciously. It is time to slow down, pause, maybe even back up a bit, and reconsider how and why various drugs should be prescribed and monitored for success. The goal of this book is to encourage prudent, informed, and appropriate use of psychotropic medications—to encourage use that is respectful and aware of the strengths and limitations of these drugs. By presenting some fundamental principles of pharmacology as they apply to the clinical treatment of patients, and by offering practical, big-picture prescribing recommendations, Psychopharmacology Problem Solving helps to unravel an increasingly complex decision-making process. The first part of the book offers guidelines to keep in mind when working toward making informed choices regarding drug therapy. The second part of the book offers select examples of behavioral problems and psychological disorders—including addiction, obesity, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, and ADHD—to illustrate how the principles or recommendations presented in Part I actually play out. The book concludes by considering the persistent problems and challenges that we face in our current and future use of psychotropic medications. Taking a hard look at the extraordinary and increasing trust clinicians, patients, and families of patients place in drug therapy for mental illness, this book gives readers an evidence-based anchor to help them make the right decisions.

Clinical Psychopharmacology offers a comprehensive guide to clinical practice that explores two major aspects of the field: the clinical research that exists to guide clinical practice of psychopharmacology, and the application of that knowledge with attention to the individualized aspects of clinical practice. The text consists of 50 chapters, organized into 6 sections, focusing on disease-modifying effects, non-DSM diagnostic concepts, and essential facts about the most common drugs. This innovative book advocates a scientific and humanistic approach to practice and examines not only the benefits, but also the harms of drugs. Providing a solid foundation of knowledge and a great deal of practical information, this book is a valuable resource for practicing psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, medical students and trainees in psychiatry, as well as pharmacists.

This jargon-free guide is suitable for all trainee and registered health professionals who require knowledge and understanding of drugs used in the treatment of mental health conditions for prescribing or administering purposes. A life-saving book that you can carry anywhere you go! Introductory material provides a background on psychotropic drugs, the etiology of mental illness, some of the commonly used drugs in practice and brief notes on common non-pharmacological interventional options. It also examines the pathophysiology of mental illness and clinical decision making. The central chapters provide comprehensive coverage of all the major medications used in the most common mental health disorders, detailing key drugs and including side effects, average doses, contra-indications and precautions, and clinical management interventions. Case studies, multiple choice questions and summary tasks in each chapter enable readers to clearly relate theory to practice and thoroughly review their learning. The second edition of this best-selling text has been completely revised to include: updated information and refreshed case studies throughout; more activities for self-study and interactive learning, including multiple choice questions; an emphasis on new ways of working within mental health settings, such as non-restrictive practice; a completely new chapter on alcohol and substance misuse.

The Age of Psychopharmacology began with a brilliant rise in the 1950s, when for the first time science entered the study of drugs that affect the brain and mind. But, esteemed historian Edward Shorter argues that there has been a recent fall, as the field has seen its drug offerings impoverished and its diagnoses distorted by the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders." The new drugs, such as Prozac, have been less effective than the old. The new diagnoses, such as "major depression," have strayed increasingly from the real disorders of most patients. Behind this disaster has been the invasion of the field by the pharmaceutical industry. This invasion has paid off commercially but not scientifically: There have been no new classes of psychiatry drugs in the last thirty years. Given that psychiatry's diagnoses and therapeutics have largely failed, the field has greatly declined from earlier days. Based on extensive research discovered in litigation, Shorter provides a historical perspective of change and decline over time, concluding that the story of the psychopharmacology is a story of a public health disaster.