Adverse psychiatric reactions to modern medication

The Emerging Role of Clinical Pharmacopsychology

Clinical pharmacopsychology is an area of clinical psychology that is concerned with the application of clinimetric methods to the assessment of psychotropic effects of drugs on psychological functioning, and the interaction of such drugs with specific or non-specific treatment ingredients. Clinical pharmacopsychology derives its data from observational and controlled studies on clinical populations and refers to the therapeutic use of medical drugs, not to the effects of substances used for other purposes.

Domains and operational settings of clinical pharmacopsychology are illustrated.

The domains of clinical pharmacopsychology extend over several areas of application which encompass the psychological effects of psychotropic drugs (with particular emphasis on subclinical changes), the characteristics that predict responsiveness to treatment, the vulnerabilities induced by treatment (i.e., side effects, behavioral toxicity, iatrogenic comorbidity), and the interactions between drug therapy and psychological variables. A service for clinical pharmacopsychology is here proposed as an example of the innovative role of clinical psychology in medical settings.

Clinical pharmacopsychology offers a unifying framework for the understanding of clinical phenomena in medical and psychiatric settings. Its aim is to provide a comprehensive assessment of the clinical important changes that are concerned with wanted and expected treatment effects; treatment-induced unwanted side effects; and the patient's own personal experience of a change in terms of well-being and/or quality of life. It is now time to practice clinical pharmacopsychology, creating ad hoc services in Europe.

Clinical pharmacopsychology assesses the effects of medications on psychological functioning

Since clinical psychologists visit medicated patients, a comprehensive clinical evaluation is crucial

Vulnerabilities induced by psychotropic drugs are an important area of application of clinical pharmacopsychology

Clinical Pharmacopsychology: Conceptual Foundations and Emerging Tasks

The aim of this critical review was to outline emerging trends and perspectives of clinical pharmacopsychology, an area of clinical psychology that is concerned with the psychological effects of medications. The historical development of clinical pharmacopsychology is outlined, with discussion of its most representative expressions and reference to current challenges of clinical research, with particular reference to clinimetrics. The domains of clinical pharmacopsychology encompass the clinical benefits of psychotropic drugs, the characteristics that predict responsiveness to treatment, the vulnerabilities induced by treatment (side effects, behavioral toxicity, iatrogenic comorbidity), and the interactions between drug treatment and psychological variables. Its aim is to provide a comprehensive assessment of the clinical important changes that are concerned with (a) wanted and expected treatment effects, (b) treatment-induced unwanted side effects, and (c) the patient's own personal experience of a change in terms of well-being and/or quality of life. Clinical pharmacopsychology offers a unifying framework for the understanding of clinical phenomena in medical and psychiatric settings. Research in this area deserves high priority.

A consensus statement for safety monitoring guidelines of treatments for major depressive disorder

OBJECTIVE

This paper aims to present an overview of screening and safety considerations for the treatment of clinical depressive disorders and make recommendations for safety monitoring.

METHOD

Data were sourced by a literature search using MEDLINE and a manual search of scientific journals to identify relevant articles. Draft guidelines were prepared and serially revised in an iterative manner until all co-authors gave final approval of content.

RESULTS

Screening and monitoring can detect medical causes of depression. Specific adverse effects associated with antidepressant treatments may be reduced or identified earlier by baseline screening and agent-specific monitoring after commencing treatment.

CONCLUSION

The adoption of safety monitoring guidelines when treating clinical depression is likely to improve overall physical health status and treatment outcome. It is important to implement these guidelines in the routine management of clinical depression.

Effects of phosphatidylserine therapy in geriatric patients with depressive disorders

The effects of phosphatidylserine (BC-PS) on cognitive, affective and behavioural symptoms were studied in a group of 10 elderly women with depressive disorders. Patients were treated with placebo for 15 days, followed by BC-PS (300 mg/day) for 30 days. The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Gottfries-Bråne-Steen Rating Scale, Nurse's Observation Scale for Inpatient Evaluation and Buschke Selective Reminding Test were administered before and after placebo and after BC-PS therapy, to monitor changes in depression, memory and general behaviour. At the same time, basal plasma levels of noradrenaline, MHPG, DOPAC, HVA and 5-HIAA, and GH/beta-endorphin/beta-lipotropin responses to clonidine stimulation were measured. BC-PS induced consistent improvement of depressive symptoms, memory and behaviour. No changes in amine metabolite levels or in hormonal responses to alpha 2-adrenoceptor stimulation were observed.

The first 200 years of Australian psychiatry

Accomplishments in the various fields of Australian psychiatry are traced from the first asylums, through the history of the peaks and troughs of progress, down to the present state of disorganisation of the services and the struggle for psychiatry to find an honourable place in Australian history.

Drug-induced psychiatric disorders and their management

Psychiatric disorders induced by drugs are of most concern when they occur in the context of therapeutic use of a drug. Such iatrogenic psychiatric disturbances may interfere considerably with the treatment of the primary illness and may cause concern to patients, their relatives and the medical staff. Because many drugs are often used simultaneously in seriously ill patients, it may be difficult to be sure which drug may have been responsible. The best procedure is to remove those drugs which are most probable causes of the psychiatric disturbances as well as any drugs that are not truly essential for the treatment of the patient. Problems involved in evaluating the relationship between use of drugs and psychiatric disorders are considerable. Many reports are isolated cases and the denominators which might provide some idea of the potential risk are unknown. Many relationships are still controversial, such as the association of depression with sedatives, antihypertensives and oral contraceptives. Areas of uncertainty are great. Psychomotor impairment may be caused by a drug that can alter consciousness, or any drugs that can produce more delineated psychiatric syndromes. Sedative drugs are those most commonly associated with psychomotor impairment, and may include psychotherapeutic drugs, sedative antihistamines, narcotic analgesics and, of course, the widely used social drug, alcohol. Delirious states are most often associated with drugs that possess central anticholinergic actions. These include not only drugs clearly identified as anticholinergics, but also tricyclic antidepressants and anti-Parkinson drugs. Cimetidine, which is often used parenterally in seriously ill patients, is also a prominent cause. Delirium is most often seen in elderly patients and in those who have received rather large doses of drugs. The association of schizophrenic-like psychoses with dopaminomimetic drugs tends to support the prevailing dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia. Levodopa, the dopamine precursor, and bromocriptine, a direct dopamine agonist, are examples of such relationships. Abuse of social drugs has also been thought to provide a useful model of schizophrenia. Hallucinogens are probably a rather poor model, abuse of amphetamines may provide a better model, and possibly the best is the psychotic state elicited by phencyclidine. Manic reactions are clinically difficult to differentiate from schizophrenic-like psychoses and are often produced by similar drugs. Corticosteroids may produce either manic or schizophrenic-like disorders, as well as occasionally confusion and depression.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Pharmacogeriatrics

The elderly comprise one of the fastest growing populations in the United States. By the year 2020, an estimated 45 million will be classified as elderly. Aging is a highly variable process as declines occur in physiologic functions. Alterations in cardiovascular, renal and hepatic function have the greatest effect on drug therapy. All pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic variables may be altered by age. Adverse drug reactions, drug interactions and poor compliance are frequent and may further complicate drug therapy. A review of those processes that commonly influence pharmacologic response and patient compliance to drug therapy is appropriate.