Manual of Clinical Psychopharmacology for Nurses

Book excerpt: Manual of Clinical Psychopharmacology for Nurses offers a holistic approach to psychopharmacological prescribing from a nursing perspective and is the only text designed especially for Psychiatric Mental Health Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (P.M.H.-A.P.R.N.s). The Manual is grounded in the belief that given their nursing background and their personalized approach to the individual, P.M.H.-A.P.R.N.s are uniquely qualified to offer symptom-based treatment within the context of an individual's medical and psychological care. A comprehensive resource for advanced practice nurses, mental health practitioners, general practitioners, and consumers, this book possesses many useful features, including the following: A logical, easy-to-use format that guides the reader through the most common psychiatric conditions, presenting the diagnostic criteria and neurobiology of the relevant disorder, pharmacological choices and recommendations on monitoring, side effects to consider, and treatment of special populations, including those with medical illnesses. A special chapter devoted to culturally sensitive psychopharmacology that offers information on the role of culture in mental health, wellness, and illness and provides culturally sensitive assessment techniques and other treatment strategies PMH nurses can use to minimize stigma; address health care disparities; and improve patient adherence, satisfaction, and outcomes. A chapter that addresses complementary and alternative pharmacotherapies -- vital because a significant percentage of patients may be using herbal preparations, which present serious implications for the prescribing clinician. Appendices covering drug dosing equivalencies, pharmacogenetics, psychiatric rating scales, and other helpful resources. The core philosophy of the advanced practice nursing field is that health care should be individualized, focusing not only on patients' conditions but also on the effects those conditions have on patients' lives and the lives of their families. The Manual of Clinical Psychopharmacology for Nurses offers readers the most current information on psychopharmacological treatment in an accessible, easy-to-use format grounded in the principles and practices of holistic nursing.