A
psychiatric medication is a licenced
psychoactive drug taken to exert an effect on the
mental state and used to treat
mental disorders. Usually prescribed in
psychiatric settings, these medications are typically made of
synthetic chemical compounds, although some are naturally occurring
[citation needed].
Prescription psychiatric medications, like all prescription medications, require a prescription from a physician, such as a psychiatrist, before they can be obtained. Some U.S. states and territories, following the creation of the prescriptive authority for psychologists movement, have granted prescriptive privileges to clinical psychologists who have undergone additional specialised education and training in medical psychology.[1]
Psychopharmacology studies a wide range of substances with various types of psychoactive properties. The professional and commercial fields of pharmacology and psychopharmacology do not typically focus on psychedelic or recreational drugs, and so the majority of studies are conducted on psychiatric medication. While studies are conducted on all psychoactives drugs by both fields, psychopharmacology focuses on psychoactive and chemical interactions with the brain. Physicians who research psychiatric medications are psychopharmacologists, specialists in the field of psychopharmacology.
Psychiatric medications sometimes have adverse adverse effects that may reduce patients' drug compliance. Some of these adverse effects can be further treated by using other medications such as anticholinergics (antimuscarinics). Some adverse effects, including the possibility of a sudden or severe re-emergence of psychotic features, may appear when the patient stops taking the drug, particularly if a drug is suddenly discontinued instead of slowly tapered off.[2]
