Psychopharmacology

Course overview

As the trends toward medicalization and medication for mental disorders grow, psychotherapists must expand their knowledge not only of psychopharmacology but their own roles with their clients as well. These new roles include not only communicating on an equal footing with prescribing physicians but also educating their clients and even advocating on their behalf. This is especially true for our more vulnerable clients such as children, the elderly, minorities, and the seriously mental ill, who are more likely to be over-diagnosed and have their meds inadequately monitored. We can do this effectively only if we ourselves understand the advantages, pitfalls and complexities of psychotropic medications. This 15 CE intermediate level course consists of four parts. Part One presents shared decision-making models between patients and physicians and presents ethical and clinical guidelines concerning prescribing medications. Part Two discusses recent advances in medications for bipolar disorder, the ongoing controversy over the effectiveness of antidepressants for treating depression and the use of antidepressants for pregnant or lactating women. Part Three discusses ADHD medications for children and adolescents. Part Four describes practices and ideas for administering psychotropic medications to geriatric patients. Additional resources and references are provided for further study, but they are not part of the course.