Psychiatric Drug Therapy

TABLE OF CONTENTS: Specific Disorders and Clinical Stuations. Foreword. Preface. 1 Introduction to Psychopharmacology. 2 Antipsychotic Drugs. 3 Antidepressant Drugs. 4 Lithium. 5 Carbamazepine and Other Anticonvulsants. 6 Benzodiazepines. 7 Other Agents: Psychostimulants, Beta-Adrenergic Blockers, and Clonidine. Index.

This manual attempts to provide simple, adequate and evidence-based information to health care professionals in primary health care especially in low- and middle-income countries to be able to provide pharmacological treatment to persons with mental disorders. The manual contains basic principles of prescribing followed by chapters on medicines used in psychotic disorders; depressive disorders; bipolar disorders; generalized anxiety and sleep disorders; obsessive compulsive disorders and panic attacks; and alcohol and opioid dependence. The annexes provide information on evidence retrieval, assessment and synthesis and the peer view process.

The Handbook of Psychiatric Drugs is a comprehensive, clear, concise and quick reference to psychiatric drug therapies, designed to guide the clinician on the selection and implementation of treatment for mental illness. Each chapter is organised by drug class and follows a standard format for ease of use. Concise sections on pharmacology and indications for use are followed by detailed information on drug selection, initiation and maintenance of treatment and withdrawal. Adverse effects, contraindications and drug interactions are also reviewed in detail, along with issues such as treatment resistance and treatment evaluation. A handy pocket-sized drug reference, the Handbook of Psychiatric Drugs makes it easy to keep up-to-date with new developments. It is an invaluable resource for all clinicians who use psychiatric drugs to treat medical and psychiatric illness, and an informative read for all those with an interest in the subject.

This book overturns the idea that psychiatric drugs work by correcting chemical imbalance and analyzes the professional, commercial and political vested interests that have shaped this view. It provides a comprehensive critique of research on drugs including antidepressants, antipsychotics and mood stabilizers.

This book offers a comprehensive survey of the current state of knowledge in the field of neuro-psychopharmacology in childhood and adolescence. In the first part, the essentials of neuro-psychopharmacology are presented in order to provide a deeper understanding of the principles and particularities in the pharmacotherapy of children and adolescents. This part includes information on neurotransmitters and signal transduction pathways, molecular brain structures as targets for psychiatric drugs, characteristics of psychopharmacological therapy in children and adolescents, ontogenetic influences on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, and pharmacotherapy in the outpatient setting. The part on classes of psychiatric medications, which covers antidepressants, antipsychotics, anxiolytics and sedative-hypnotics, mood stabilizers, and psychostimulants and other drugs used in the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, provides sufficient background material to better understand how psychoactive drugs work, and why, when, and for whom they should be used. For each drug within a class, information on its mechanisms of action, clinical pharmacology, indications, dosages, and cognate issues are reviewed. In the third part, the disorder-specific and symptom-oriented medication is described and discerningly evaluated from a practical point of view, providing physicians with precise instructions on how to proceed. Psychiatric Drugs in Children and Adolescents includes numerous tables, figures and illustrations and offers a valuable reference work for child and adolescent psychiatrists and psychotherapists, pediatricians, general practitioners, psychologists, and nursing staff, as well as teachers.

Thoroughly updated for its Fifth Edition, this quick-reference handbook provides complete information on the major classes of drugs used in current psychiatric practice—including a new chapter on psychotropics for treating substance use disorders. Coverage of each drug class includes mechanisms of action, indications, therapeutic uses, side effects, interactions, and caveats regarding special populations such as pregnant and elderly patients. The book gives specific prescribing recommendations—including dosage and how long to use—for individual drugs. Tables provide at-a-glance information and a disease-specific table of contents directs readers quickly to relevant drug chapters. This edition is available electronically for PDAs. See Media listing for details on Labbate, Rosenbaum, Arana and Hyman, Handbook of Psychiatric Drug Therapy for PDA, Version 2.0.