Psychopharmacotherapy is a way of treating psychological problems with medications. Antianxiety medications, antidepressants, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and psychostimulants are commonly used by people these days to reduce anxiety/ stress or stabilize their moods. But when taking one, they need to be cautious about their dosage and possible side effects including a serious one, sudden cardiac death. Their dosage needs to be always kept the minimum for each individual, and they should not discontinue taking the medication in a short period of time. There haven't been any big tragedies that were reported publicly; but it is certainly true that no thoroughly explained verification of uses have come out yet. According to the textbook, if one really requires getting this method of treatment, he/she should get psychotherapy first for about two-month period before any further steps. Also, if it's possible to cure only with a certain psychotherapy treatment, it's strongly not suggested to combine any prescription to the treatment because psychotherapy alone can be incredibly effective for anxiety disorders, dysthymia, bulimia, and insomnia.
The textbook says on pg. 661 that now under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), drug manufacturers have to attach a warning sign on the label of SSRIs- one of medication for antidepressants- because the medication increases the rate of getting a serious side effect in children. I think it just proves that the thought of taking pills for mental care needs to be reconsidered.
This video here clearly gives us a thought about psychopharmacotherapy within children.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6DGfoDI-Ps&feature=related
Good job with the review, but I would like to see more of your thoughts and ideas.
I have a father with depression problems and I know that medication has only caused him problems. It is necessary to help with his depression, but if his dosage is wrong his personality is drastically altered and the rest of my family suffers the consequences. There isn't a day that goes by when I am not wondering if it will be my Dad who will open the door or his drug induced alter ego. There is still a lot of research to be done in this area, especially if there are prescriptions being given to children.