Psychopharmacology
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1 PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW Jassin M. Jouria, MD Dr. Jassin M. Jouria is a medical doctor, professor of academic medicine, and medical author. He graduated from Ross University School of Medicine and has completed his clinical clerkship training in various teaching hospitals throughout New York, including King’s County Hospital Center and Brookdale Medical Center, among others. Dr. Jouria has passed all USMLE medical board exams, and has served as a test prep tutor and instructor for Kaplan. He has developed several medical courses and curricula for a variety of educational institutions. Dr. Jouria has also served on multiple levels in the academic field including faculty member and Department Chair; and he serves as a Subject Matter Expert for several continuing education organizations covering multiple basic medical sciences. He has also developed several continuing medical education courses covering various topics in clinical medicine. Recently, Dr. Jouria has been contracted by the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Department of Surgery to develop an e-module training series for trauma patient management, and is currently authoring an academic textbook on Human Anatomy & Physiology. ABSTRACT While pharmacotherapy has emerged as the most commonly used psychiatric management, psychiatric education uncovers a salient neglect of clinical psychopharmacology. The educational objective should be the advancement of information in psychopharmacology that is not restricted to useful drugs, or medications that simply work, but rather a goal that represents the unified facets of scientific, clinical and experimental psychiatry. This course offers a comprehensive review of the fundamentals of psychopharmacology as well as valuable concepts that attempt to integrate psychopharmacological topics with clinical psychopathology and psychiatric theory in general. Additionally, it presents practical information on the targeted therapy, benefits, side effects, drug-drug interactions and suggested doses of psychotropic drugs. The four major classes are discussed- antipsychotics, antidepressants, mood stabilizers and antianxiety/sleeping medications, nursece4less.com nursece4less.com nursece4less.com nursece4less.com nursece4less.com 2 including updated information on the array of new medications and how they differ from traditional drugs. Further information is provided on the use of benzodiazepines, stimulants and sedatives in the management of other mental health disorders. A section on guidelines for communication is also included to help assist the healthcare professional in order to maximize compliance and to support the patient-therapist-psychiatrist relationship. COURSE LENGTH 20 credit hours or approximately 53,528 words. OBJECTIVES At the completion of this course, participants will be able to: 1. Describe the basic principles of psychopharmacology. 2. Describe basic brain and nerve anatomy. 3. Identify the various neurotransmitters present in the central nervous system, and describe their action. 4. Discuss the epidemiology of mental health disorders in the United States. 5. Identify the most recent psychotropic drugs and how they differ from the older medications. 6. Discuss medications in classes based on their mechanism(s) of action. 7. Discuss the mechanism of action and targeted therapy of antipsychotics. 8. Differentiate between the subset of antidepressants, based on their mechanism of action. 9. Identify the mechanism of action and use of benzodiazepines in mental health problems. 10. Compare and contrast the use of the major groups of anti-anxiety and mood- stabilizing drugs in different types of mental and personality disorders. 11. Distinguish between the classes of antipsychotics, antidepressants, benzodiazepines, anti-anxiety, and mood-stabilizing medications. nursece4less.com nursece4less.com nursece4less.com nursece4less.com nursece4less.com 3 12. Compare and contrast between the use and management of stimulants vs. sedatives in mental health disorders. 13. Discuss the processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination of medical substances in the body. 14. Describe the desired effect of antipsychotic medications. 15. Discuss the goals of treating depression with antidepressant medications. 16. Describe the ways to work collaboratively with people diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, using medication as a tool. 17. Describe the desired effects from Mood Stabilizers 18. Explain the major uses of psychostimulant medications. 19. Discuss interactions and adverse reactions of different classes of psychotropic drugs. 20. Classify and describe the possible side effects of psychotropic medications and their management in treatment. 21. Discuss special considerations of psychotropic drugs for special populations (i.e. elderly or pediatric patients). 22. Identify safety and ethical issues of prescribing psychotropic drugs. 23. Explain medication treatment algorithms for depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, ADHD, and bipolar spectrum disorders. 24. Explain the effect of the major classes of controlled and illicit substances on brain and nerve physiology. 25. Identify how to effectively communicate with patients and other healthcare professionals about medication types, dosage, drug interactions, and side effects. 26. Discuss how to develop and support the client-therapist-psychiatrist relationship. 27. Discuss ethical and legal considerations in providing information about medications to clients. 28. Explain how new information can be applied to existing patient care problems through consultation process with peers. nursece4less.com nursece4less.com nursece4less.com nursece4less.com nursece4less.com 4 OUTLINE I. Introduction A. Definitions B. History of Mental Health C. Epidemiology II. Principles A. Basics of Central Nervous System Anatomy 1. Brain 2. Nervous System 3. Neurotransmitters B. Basics of Psychopharmacology 1. Overview of mechanism of actions 2. Overview of goals in management 3. Overview of newer vs. older psychotropic medications III. Classification of Psychotropic Medications A. Antipsychotics B. Antidepressants C. Anxiolytics and sedatives D. Mood stabilizers E. Stimulants F. Sedatives / Hypnotics G. Miscellaneous drugs: complementary, herbal and over the counter IV. Adverse Effects of Psychotropic Medications A. Drug-drug interactions B. Side effects C. Orthostatic Hypotension D. Sexual dysfunction and hyperprolactinemia E. Liver/Kidney dysfunction nursece4less.com nursece4less.com nursece4less.com nursece4less.com nursece4less.com 5 F. SIADH G. Bone mineral density V. Classification of Mental Health Disorders A. Psychotic B. Personality C. Emotional/Behavioral D. Mood VI. Dosage and Delivery A. Isolated infusion/Intravenous/Oral B. Dosing schemes/guidelines C. Therapeutic vs. Toxic VII. Special Populations A. Geriatric B. Pregnancy C. Pediatric VIII. Limitations and Inadequacies A. Cure vs. Control B. Toxicity levels C. Patient consent D. Safety E. Ethical Issues F. Patient advocacy 1. Medicare 2. Homeless 3. Addictions IX. Communication A. Discussing expectations with patients & family B. Consultation with peers nursece4less.com nursece4less.com nursece4less.com nursece4less.com nursece4less.com 6 1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy 2. Group Counseling C. Psychological support X. Lifestyle Precautions A. Domestic awareness B. Work limitations C. Social interactions XI. Conclusion nursece4less.com nursece4less.com nursece4less.com nursece4less.com nursece4less.com 7 INTRODUCTION Presently, psychoactive substances and their synthetic derivatives are used for a variety of mental disorders ranging from clinical depression to psychosis. At the heart of psychopharmacology lie two important things; psychoactive drugs and mental illness as a clinically diagnosed disorder. DEFINITIONS Psychopharmacology refers to the study of drugs, pharmakon, that influence the human mental state, psyche, and behavior. The terms “mental illness”, “mental disorder”, “psychiatric disorder” and “psychiatric illness” are used interchangeably throughout the course. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), “a mental illness is a medical condition that disrupts a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life” (204). The terms “psychopharmacologic drugs”, “psychopharmacologic medications”, “psychopharmacologic treatment”, “psychopharmacologic therapy”, “psychiatric drugs”, “psychiatric medications”, “psychotropic drugs”, “psychoactive drugs”, “psychoactive medications”, and “psychotropic medications” are used interchangeably throughout the course. They are used to refer to the drugs used to treat mental illness. Additionally, the terms “psychiatric treatment” and “psychiatric therapy” are used interchangeably throughout the course. They are defined as the overall interventions, clinical and nonclinical, used to ameliorate mental illness. HISTORY OF MENTAL HEALTH nursece4less.com nursece4less.com nursece4less.com nursece4less.com nursece4less.com 8 Past cultures attributed mental disorders and migraines to demonic possessions. Healers used to hammer or drill holes into the skulls with hard instruments solely made for this purpose: to release the demons occupying the sufferer’s mind (1). Others purged this disease with blood-letting (2). These brutal