This version is now out of print. An edition with e-book is available under ISBN 97880702041365.
Psychiatric Drugs Explained contains a clear and comprehensive guide to the uses, benefits and impact of psychotropic drugs. It explains how people taking the drugs experience their side effects compared to the benefits they may bring. The fifth edition has been fully revised and updated to include the latest thinking on the rationale for drug treatements to help mental health professionals and service users understand therapeutic decision making.
* Organized by disorder* Comprehensive review of drug effects, action and side-effects* 'User issues' boxes to highlight particular problems experienced* Website addresses to allow searching for further information* Questionnaires to help assess side effectsInformation New antipsychotic drugs and metabolic complications* New antidepressants* How drugs and therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy interact and compete* Drugs that affect sexual functioning* Evidence-based medicine
David Healy is a former secretary of the British Association for Psychopharmacology and author of over 120 articles and 12 books, including The Antidepressant Era and The Creation of Psychopharmacology.
I have the 5th Edition from class. Much of it goes over my head, but I’m hoping to give more time to reading it to use with clients. It really helps breakdown the major concerns of psychiatric drugs. It is ideal for nurses, as stated on the back of my copy.
This book I read in my first year as a psychiatric nursing student. I found parts difficult to understand as I had read this prior to classes starting and this book does discuss the disorders but I found the explanations needing to be more simplified so I would recommend to read The The Meaning of Madness before hand as it is extremely simply and able to place imagery.
Psychiatric Drugs explained is one I have returned to throughout my nursing studies as a referencing book within assignments and looked back on when needing to clear up any misunderstanding I have had towards medication. You do not need to read the book from front to back as it is easily broken down into manageable chapters from the disorders, what medication treats what, effects of medication and goes onto consent and ethics.
Very useful tool for anyone interested or studying mental health.
This book is excellent, modelling good practice towards listening to patients and involving them in their care- particularly management of medications. This should be mandatory reading for anyone dispensing or prescribing medication.