Psychotropic medications: types, effects, and clinical considerations

Psychotropic Medications

In this chapter, the author discusses psychotropic medications, their availability, how they work, what they are used for, different types, risks, and the ethical distribution of them by clinicians. Psychotropic medications are often used along with psychotherapeutic treatment. The drugs target neurotransmitters in the brain, which control many aspects of mental health such as mood swings, arousal, and perception of reality. Psychotropic medications can often be used to alleviate the symptoms of mental disorders such as depression and schizophrenia. The medications can have both good and unfortunate side effects. Different types of medications include antidepressants, which can be used to reduce or eliminate the symptoms of depression, a disorder that can also be treated with electroconvulsive therapy, mood stabilizers, that help those with bi-polar disorder and other like ailments function, antipsychotics, which are associated with the relief of psychotic symptoms like those witnessed in schizophrenia. Some of the risks involved with prescribing psychotropic drugs include substance abuse in the patient and a mistaken prescription. In order to avoid prescribing the wrong type of drug, clinicians should establish a relationship with another group of clinicians in order to discuss cases.

Research questions related to psychotropic medications might include ow can a clinician determine whether a psychotherapeutic treatment is enough or when a psychotropic medication should be prescribed? In what ways can different types of psychotropic medications be abused? In what cases should a clinician avoid giving a medication due to a theory of substance abuse?