Pharmacology in nursing-Psychiatric disorder - Assignment Example

On the other hand, FGAs have less efficiency and adverse side-effects characterized by extrapyramidal side-effects. In spite of their efficiency, SGAs also have their own side-effects such as weight gain and the ability to increase vulnerability to diabetes. As such, treatment of depression and psychosis requires careful consideration of various factors, such as age, pre-existent conditions, and polypharmacy among many other factors before making a choice of the treatment drug. In addition to making a choice on the antipsychotics applicable, medical practitioners also have to consider the possibility of incorporating non-pharmacologic approaches such as psychotherapy for youth with difficult-to-treat depression.

Additionally, issues of patients using herbal medications, such as St. John’s Wort, have to be advised appropriately to avert potential harm and side-effects from polypharmacy. This paper critically reviews the use of antipsychotics in the treatment of psychosis and depression. It also briefly highlights the use of psychotherapy and alternative medicine-St. John’s Wort. . that vary in severity, and these may include schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, drug-induced psychosis and psychotic depression.

Psychosis affects approximately 3% of the United States (U.S) population, with 1% of the cases being schizophrenic (Lehne, 2012). On the other hand, depression is a mood disorder condition characterized by feelings of sadness, anger, loss, frustration and aversion of activity. These are common feelings, but actual clinical depression is a situation in which these feelings occur often and cause interference on day-to-day activities. The condition may also elicit other behaviors such as overeating, which could finally lead to obesity.

Epidemiologic statistics show that depression is prevalent in the most developed nations, with U.S. being the leading nation. Lifetime prevalence differs greatly from 3% in Japan to as high as 17% in the U.S. Populations in most nations experience depression at a rate ranging between 8% and 12% (Lehne, 2012). The treatment of psychosis and depression has for a very long time relied on antipsychotics as the first line of treatment. In addition to the pharmacological approach, family and cognitive behavioral therapies have also been recommended for long-term treatment.

The use of antipsychotics has in the past presented mixed reactions among users and still continues to present a dilemma in the treatment of psychosis and depression. Notably, the challenge appeared in 2004 and 2005 when the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) recommended a “black box warning” on antidepressants used to treat depressed and psychotic adolescents (Ho, 2012). A “black box warning” is any alert that appears on the insert of any prescription and warns against adverse effects of using a certain drug. In the