Manual of Clinical Psychopharmacology for Nurses

Description

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.

Contents

Foreword. Preface. Introduction to clinical psychopharmacology for nurses. Part I: Psychopharmacological Treatment and Management of Psychiatric Disorders. Anxiety disorders. Depressive disorders. Bipolar disorders. Psychotic disorders. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity and autistic spectrum disorders. Substance use disorders. Sleep-wake disorders. Trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder. Delirium and dementia. Part II: Special Issues in Clinical Psychopharmacology. Psychopharmacology in psychiatric emergencies. Management of metabolic side effects of psychotropic medications. Complementary and alternative pharmacotherapies. Culturally sensitive psychopharmacology. Part III: Appendixes. Appendix 1: Approximate psychotropic drug dose equivalencies. Appendix 2: Psychotropic and other medications influenced by the cytochrome P450 (CYP) system. Appendix 3: Psychopharmacogenetic variations: implications for practice. Appendix 4: Psychiatric rating scales. Appendix 5: Online resources. Index.

Reviews

"Manual of Clinical Psychopharmacology for Nurses is a "go to" guide that offers the Advanced Practice Nurse a solid resource for psychopharmacologic practice. Leahy and Kohler provide the nuts and bolts for prescriptive practice across the diagnostic and environmental contexts of caring for mentally ill clients, and contemporary and practical clinical management advice from our peers in nursing that reflects the natural complexities inherent in our work. Congratulations to the authors for this important contribution to our practice!"—Julie A. Carbray, Ph.D., APN, PMHCNS-BC, PMHFNP-BC, Clin Prof Psych & Nursing; Admin Director, Ped Mood Dis Clinic, Ped Brain Research & Intervention Ctr, Dept of Psychiatry, Univ of Illinois at Chicago

Authors

Laura G. Leahy, M.S.N., P.M.H.-A.P.R.N., is Associate Director of and Senior Lecturer in the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing in Philadelphia; and a Family Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner at APNSolutions, LLC, with offices in Vineland and Sewell, New Jersey.

Christian G. Kohler, M.D., is Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.