ABSTRACT

Prescribing Mental Health Medication is a text for nursing and medical practitioners who are learning how to diagnose and treat mental disorders with medication. Skills-based, it focuses on the following key issues:

  • how to start and stop medication
  • how to dose
  • when to change medication
  • dealing with particular kinds of patients
  • specific illnesses and their medication
  • special populations and conditions
  • the management of side effects
  • practical issues such as monitoring medication with blood levels
  • administrative issues such as record-keeping.

Special icons used throughout the text highlight clinical tips, advice on how to talk to patients and differences in practice in primary care settings.

Based on the author's considerable experience of training nursing and medical staff, Prescribing Mental Health Medication presents complex topics in an organized, logical and easily assimilated format. It provides a supportive text for those new to prescribing and a comprehensive source of reference for more experienced practitioners or teachers.

part |1 pages

Part I The Need for this Book

part |1 pages

Part II Medication Management Start to Finish

chapter 3|18 pages

The initial prescriptive interview

chapter 5|17 pages

Starting medication

chapter 6|25 pages

Follow-up appointments and strategies

chapter 7|6 pages

Medication and psychotherapy

chapter 8|12 pages

Stopping medication

chapter 9|18 pages

The long-term patient

part |1 pages

Part III Medicating Special Populations

part |1 pages

Part IV Medication Dilemmas and their Clinical Management

chapter 16|39 pages

Psychotropic medications and side effects

chapter 18|6 pages

Medication allergies

part |1 pages

Part V Competent Clinical Practice