These medications are used to treat anxiety, insomnia and panic attacks. They also have anticonvulsant properties, relax skeletal muscle, treat alcohol withdrawal, and sometimes treat the side effects of antipsychotics. Benzodiazepines are more similar than they are different. They differ only in their onset of action and their duration of action. […]
Here’s a breakdown of the role that gender plays in psychotropic medication response: […]
When treating a bipolar disordered client, do you their take nutritional intake into account? New research presented at the 17th Annual British Association for Counseling and Psychotherapy Research Conference this past May reveals that there is a connection between diet and bipolar disorder, with sugar, caffeine and poor overall eating habits increasing the mood swings of bipolar individuals. The research also indicated that there are noteworthy differences in the eating patterns of these individuals at the onset of bipolar disorder [...]
The need for viable augmentation strategies to assist in the pharmacological management of treatment-resistant depression has become so dire that clinicians seem to perk up to any option nowadays – regardless of how fly-by-night, “here today gone tomorrow” it may be. This is happening, at least in part, due to the ever-growing problem of suboptimum response to traditional antidepressant therapies. […]
Antipsychotics developed after 1990 are referred to as second-generation agents because they act on different neuroreceptor sites compared to their first-generation (Thorazine, Haldol, Stelazine, Navane, Mellaril, etc.) counterparts. Specifically, the SGAs block both dopamine and serotonin receptors and are more different from each other than they are alike. SGAs have fewer movement-related side effects. They also seem to have mood stabilizing effects that the FGAs do not possess. The main reason for using these newer antipsychotics is that patients tolerate [...]
It’s no secret to those of us that work in the mental health arena that schizophrenics often relapse to the active, observable symptoms of schizophrenia (delusions, hallucinations, exaggeration, disorganization) due to medication non-compliance. The three primary reasons for this are as follows: In an active psychotic state, non-compliance is fueled by paranoia – which dictates that medication is some form of poison or mind control. Why take poison, or something that will manipulate the mind? Another piece of the schizophrenic’s [...]
Antidepressants: As a pharmacological class, the antidepressants work far too slowly to be an apt choice as a suicide deterrent. The older cyclic agents can actually be fatal in overdose, particularly if combined with alcohol. This is because many of them block the actions of histamine, thereby producing marked sedation. Serotonin antidepressants, particularly the SSRIs, can increase suicidal thinking and behavior in patients under 24 years old, but they also probably decrease suicide deaths overall. Anxiolytics: Though the benzodiazepines carry [...]
It is estimated that10% of patients who are prescribed antidepressants never fill the prescription, 16% stop in the first week, 41% within 2 weeks, 59% in 3 weeks, and 68% in 4 weeks. The following instructions to patients may increase adherence: […]
Psychotic disorders can involve an extreme impairment in the ability to distinguish reality from fantasy, behave in an emotionally appropriate manner, and communicate effectively. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) indicates that schizophrenia is rare in children: Only about one in 1,000 have this disorder. Adolescent onset generally occurs between the ages of 11 and 15. Young people who do suffer from schizophrenia have psychotic periods that can involve hallucinations, social isolation, distorted reality, anhedonia (inability to experience pleasure) and [...]
Many obese individuals participating in weight reduction programs which emphasize exercise and lifestyle modifications see an improvement in their depression, according to a new review published in February in the International Journal of Obesity. The weight loss programs varied, and included diet-only, exercise-only, and programs emphasizing counseling and behavioral change. Some participants also took medication to assist their weight loss, while others received no treatment. The studies included approximately 8000 folks. As a whole, those in almost every type of [...]
