The service of consulting for pharmacological treatment it clarifies the indication for treatment, its rationale and the patient’s doubts about the therapy.
Why seek a consultation for drug treatment
Pharmacological treatment is one of the most effective tools we have in the treatment of subjects with mental illness. It has a very high percentage of effectiveness, like few other treatments, which in some cases is close to 90%. Over time, the progressive reduction of side effects and the improvement of psychopharmacological knowledge has made pharmacological treatment more and more precise, reducing its risks.
However, drug therapy must be prescribed after careful psychiatric and medical evaluation by a psychiatrist. The indication for pharmacological treatment follows scientifically proven international and national guidelines and allows both an improvement in the symptoms and quality of life of the patient and to restore a homeostasis, i.e. a neurochemical brain balance, which represents a real recovery of one’s previous mode of operation, as well as preventing relapses.
How the consulting service works
The consultation visit for pharmacological treatment will be carried out by a psychiatrist experienced in the administration of psychotropic drugs. At the end of the visit, the opinion regarding drug therapy will be communicated and any doubts of the patient will be clarified.
How the service is structured
The consultation by a psychiatrist expert in pharmacological treatment takes place through a careful first visit in which the patient’s personal and pharmacological anamnesis, personal characteristics, familiarity, personal evolutionary stages and the clinical history of psychological discomfort are assessed. for which advice is sought. If necessary, clinical examinations or psychological tests will be prescribed as a diagnostic follow-up.
Pharmacological counseling will clarify:
The indication or not of a drug treatment and its subsequent prescription
The explanation of the rationale for the possible use of drugs and supporting studies, to clarify the advantages and disadvantages according to the scientific literature
The timing of drug therapy
Any side effects
The main drug interactions
The answer to patient specific doubts and perplexities
Summary
One of the fundamental rights of the patient is to be able to ask for a second opinion. Patients may have doubts about the adequacy or efficacy of the prescribed drug treatment, which in psychiatry is often very standardized, and therefore not very personalized, or, worse, widely deviating from the guidelines. Patients may also have problems with the side effects of psychiatric drugs or concerns about their way of functioning or acting, their long-term efficacy, may wish to receive information on the timing and duration of drug treatment or on how to safely stop it. . On the other hand, some patients may seek advice before starting a drug treatment recommended by a therapist or general practitioner.