Chapter 34: Psychopharmacology for mental health nurses
1. What does Robert Whitaker say is the ultimate effect of anti-psychotic prescribing?
Answer: An epidemic of chronic disease
2. Where is the optimum site for depot injection?
Answer: Buttocks: upper, outer quadrant – injection sites should be rotated
3. Why is the role of pharmacological companies problematic in research into drigs efficacy?
Answer: These organisations have a vested interest in positive results and there is evidence that this biases drugs trials. This evidence of bias includes: non-publishing of negative results, fraudulent accounting for results, comparing efficacy with the least efficacious alternative
4. What is the most likely side-effect of most psychotropic medication?
Answer: Sedation, tiredness
5. What does concordance mean?
Answer: This is a concept for an alliance between prescriber and patient, where both have an equal voice and there are open discussions about medication; in less progressive teams this can often default to older concepts such as adherence and compliance – which are more about people sticking to prescriptions without necessarily being involved in decisions
6. What is one of the most continually revised theories in the history of mental health care
Answer: The dopamine theory of antipsychotic drug action
