Clinical Psychopharmacology

Course Objectives

• Identify the mechanisms and uses of psychotropic medications
• Have a foundation for differential diagnoses and standards of treatment and symptom monitoring with focus on drug interactions, co-morbid medical conditions and client empowerment
• Be prepared to collaborate in client care with other health care professionals who prescribe psychotropic medications in an integrative foundation in biopsychosocial treatment
• Recognize advantages and disadvantages of pharmacological treatment for mental illness, and better assess which patients are likely to benefit from pharmacotherapy
• Explain general principles of brain organization and neurochemistry and how psychoactive medications influence the nervous system
• Discuss pharmacologic principles affecting individual variability based on biological factors such as age, gender and ethnicity
• Incorporate knowledge of a range of psychoactive medications to understand cases representing the major psychological disorders
• Identify and research adverse effects and drug interactions
• Describe the complexity of working with individuals with both substance use disorders and mental health conditions
• Discuss collaborating with prescribing health care professionals and treatment teams, and gain awareness of when and how to make clinical consultations and referrals
• Identify reliable sources for up-to-date psychopharmacology information and treatment guidelines to stay current in this field
• Explain methods to educate clients on medication adherence, efficacy and side effects to maximize treatment outcomes
• Describe how to empower clients to take an active part in their own treatment, including the importance of combining pharmacology approaches with other treatment modalities such as counseling, physical activity, spiritual approaches and psychotherapy

What You Learn

• How to perform online information searches
• Neurobiology review
• Principles of pharmacology
• Depression
• Antidepressant medications
• Medications for anxiety as related to OCD, insomnia and PTSD
• Mood stabilizers for bipolar disorders
• Antipsychotic medications for psychotic disorders
• Psychopharmacology of children and adolescents and ADHD
• Comorbidity: substance use disorders
• Group issues such as for women (pregnancy) and the elderly (dementia)
• Individual differences in genetics and ethnopsychopharmacology
• Complementary and alternative medicines
• Issues in psychopharmacology such as overprescription
• Collaboration and referral

How You Learn

• Canvas learning management system
• Reading assignments
• Discussion posts
• Quizzes
• Midterm exams
• Slide presentations
• Proctored final exam

Is This Course Right for Me?

This course is intended for both pre-licensure mental health students and mental health professionals who seek an up-to-date review of psychoactive drugs and their use in client care. There are no prerequisites for this course.