Psychotropic drug

About: Psychotropic drug is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2309 publications have been published within this topic receiving 54070 citations.

Chromatin remodeling: a novel mechanism of psychotropic drug action.

Abstract: Regulation of gene expression is known to contribute to the long-term adaptations underlying the effects of psychotropic drugs, including the actions of antidepressants and drugs of abuse in behavioral models. However, the precise molecular events that are required for modification of chromatin and that underlie gene repression or activation have not been elucidated. Recent reports, including the article by Cassel et al. (p. 487) in this issue of Molecular Pharmacology, address this question and demonstrate that psychotropic drugs modify specific methyl-CpG-binding proteins that control histone acetylation and gene expression.

Social Workers' Attitudes about Psychotropic Drug Treatment with Youths

Abstract: Given the precipitous rise in psychotropic drug use with youths in recent years (for example, Rushton & Whitmire, 2001; Zito et al., 2003), nearly every social worker practicing with youths has worked with a medicated child or adolescent. Despite the controversies and concerns this trend has generated (see, for example, Ingersoll, Bauer, & Burns, 2004; Moses & Kirk, 2005), we know very little about social workers' attitudes toward this trend. This is unfortunate because social workers provide the largest proportion of mental health services in the United States (Gibelman & Schervish, 1997; Knowlton, 1995), and their attitudes are likely to affect how they broker clients' access to drug treatment and the quality of supportive services that accompany drug treatment (for example, education; monitoring of side effects, adherence, and effectiveness; and collaboration with physicians). Moreover, parents often turn to social workers to ask about medication because social workers often serve as intermediaries among families, schools, and physicians in regard to referrals for medication evaluation and follow-up (Bentley & Walsh, 2001; Taylor, 2003). Social workers' attitudes about drug treatment likely affect their behavior and communication style with clients (Bentley, Farmer, & Phillips, 1991; Taylor, 2003). Johnson and colleagues (1998) found that social workers expressing stronger beliefs that medication is helpful in treating emotionally disturbed youths were also more likely to have favorable attitudes toward collaborative work with other professionals (for example, to refer youths to other specialists) and to work more closely with families (for example, to share information with parents and to avoid attributing blame). Social workers' attitudes toward medication treatment are likely to affect medication referrals. Bradley (2003) noted that social workers' "beliefs and theoretical framework impact why, when, and how this decision [to refer for medication consultation] is made" (p. 36). Moreover, social workers' attitudes are likely to affect clients' receptivity, satisfaction, and response to this form of treatment. A recent survey of social workers' roles in clients' psychiatric medication reported that when asked about their most important personal contribution to a successful outcome with psychiatrically medicated clients, 16 percent of respondents indicated that it was holding positive attitudes and beliefs that support medication (Bentley, Walsh, & Farmer, 2004).These social workers thought that communicating hope and sharing professional experiences of other clients' positive outcomes contributed to positive outcomes. There have been no empirical studies, however, of whether there is a direct relationship between social workers' attitudes toward drug treatment and treatment outcomes. Social Workers" Views of Drug Treatment Much of the earlier social work literature from the 1970s and 1980s depicts the profession's view of psychotropic medication treatment as suspicious and negative (for example, Berg & Wallace, 1987; Davidson & Jamison, 1983; Matorin & De Chillo, 1984).This literature, focused on adult clients, suggests that social workers are resistant to the medical model, a perspective that defines clients' problems using medical-psychopathological terms that are apolitical, decontextualized, and deficit oriented and that steers treatment toward "fixing" the individual. This literature tends to focus on the negative physical or psychosocial consequences of biological interventions and about possible drug misuse involved in inadequate screening, overmedication, and infringement on patients' rights. More recent literature, however, has suggested that many social workers subscribe, at least to some extent, to the medical model and support as well as facilitate the use of drug treatment for adults with mental illness. Several studies of social workers' attitudes toward psychopharmacologic treatment suggest that they are more positive about drug treatment than other mental health professionals (Bentley et al. …

Psychotropic drug prescription in a psychiatric university hospital in Germany.

Abstract: A retrospective survey on drug prescription over a 5-year period (1998 to 2003) in 1540 inpatients in a psychiatric university hospital in Germany was carried out. The aim was to establish a basis for a monitoring of prescription habits and for pharmacoeconomic considerations. It was established that there was only a slight increase in polyvalent drug use between 1998 and 2003. The results are presented in more detail in relation to the diagnosis of organic mental disorders, drug abuse disorders, schizophrenia, mood disorders and personality disorders. Newer atypical antipsychotics, SSRIs and mood stabilizers were increased across diagnoses while lithium and clozapine were prescribed less frequently. The rare occurrence of monotherapy in general might reflect a common trend in psychiatry fostering polydrug use. Studies of this type are biased by the fact that local habits of prescription do not allow generalisation of the findings. Such surveys should be carried out more frequently and simultaneously in different centers. Critical comparisons could help to optimize treatment.

The comparative pharmacology of some psychotropic drugs.

Abstract: Interest in the mode of action of the psychotropic drugs has been growing rapidly during the last few years and at the same time the number of compounds known to be capable of affecting the higher centres of the central nervous system has greatly increased. The diversity of psychic and somatic effects produced by these drugs, the fact that they may have similar effects on some functions but opposite effects on others, and the lack of a precise and universally accepted terminology to describe these properties have led to much confusion and thwarted attempts to arrive at a satisfactory classification. As a contribution to a clearer understanding of the relationships between the psychotropic drugs the author of this review has undertaken a systematic examination of the effects of a number of the better known compounds on the various levels of the central nervous system. The antagonistic and synergistic effects of giving the drugs in combination are also discussed, as well as the possible relationships between the central effects and certain "basic" effects on somatic functions. Although the picture revealed is a very complex one and there are still many gaps, it is possible to recognize a number of characteristic types of psychotropic drug on the basis of which a system of classification may be developed.