Psychopharmacology resources
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Committee activities
- The Psychopharmacology Committee has recently helped to revise the College information sheet on Long-acting injectable (depot) antipsychotics.
College reports and statements
- Updated information regarding the shortage of ADHD medication
- CR190: Consensus Statement on High-Dose Antipsychotic Medication 2014
- The ECT Handbook (2019) Fourth edition 2019
- CR202: Good Psychiatric Practice: Relationships with Pharmaceutical and Other Commercial Organisations, 2017
- CR210: Use of licensed medicines for unlicensed applications in psychiatric practice, 2017
- PS04/18: Withdrawal of, and alternatives to, valproate-containing medicines in girls and women of childbearing potential who have a psychiatric illness 2018
- PS03/20: Use of monoamine oxidase inhibitors in psychiatric practice 2020
Relevant articles for trainees
These articles are reproduced with the kind permission of the MEDICINE Journal editorial team and Elsevier publishers
- Response by Jauhar S, et al. to: Horowitz M, Wilcock M. Newer generation antidepressants and withdrawal effects: reconsidering the role of antidepressants and helping patients to stop. Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin 2022;60:7-12
- Neuroscience based Nomenclature (NbN) is a system of classifying psychotropic drugs by their pharmacological profile. The NbN was developed to replace the current primarily indication-based nomenclature and to provide an up-to-date and evidence-based framework to better inform pharmacological decisions.
- Ten principles of good psychiatric prescribing, by Peter M Haddad
- Psychiatric effects of drugs for other disorders, by Caroline Parker
- Pharmacological management of depressive disorders, by Anthony J Cleare and Roman Duncko
- Drugs for alcohol dependence, by Julia Sinclair
Relevant articles for psychiatrists and non-medical prescribers
- The drugs do work; The war on antidepressants is scientifically unsound. It is hurting the most vulnerable in society
- Comparing Apples and Oranges in Youth Depression Treatments? A Quantitative Critique of the Evidence Base and Guidelines
- Prescription of valproate-containing medicines in women of childbearing potential who have psychiatric disorders. Is it worth the risk? Authors David S Baldwin, Hugo JF Amaro (CNS Drugs (2020) 34: 163-169)
- Augmentation therapies for treatment resistant depression: systematic review and meta-analysis. Authors: Rebecca Strawbridge, Ben Carter, Lindsey Marwood, Borwin Bandelow, Dimosthenis Tsapekos, Viktoriya L.Nikolova, Rachael Taylor, Tim Mantingh, Valeria de Angel, Fiona Patrick, Anthony J.Cleare and Allan H. Young (BJPsych 2019 214, 42-51)
- Changes in prescribing for bipolar disorder between 2009 and 2016: national-level data linkage study in Scotland. Authors: Laura M. Lyall, Nagore Penades and Daniel J. Smith (BJPsych 2019 215, 415-421)
- Clozapine is associated with secondary antibody deficiency. Authors: Mark Ponsford, Daniel Castle, Tayyeb Tahir, Rebecca Robinson, Wendy Wade, Rachael Steven, Kathryn Bramhall, Mo Moody, Emily Carne, Catherine Ford, Daniel Farewell, Paul Williams, Tariq El-Shanawany and Stephen Jolles (BJPsych 2019 214, 83-89)
- Effect of antidepressant switching between nortriptyline and escitalopram after a failed first antidepressant treatment among patients with major depressive disorder. Authors: Ole Köhler-Forsberg, Erik Roj Larsen, Henriette N. Buttenschønc,, Marcella Rietschelf, Joanna Hauserg, Daniel Soueryh, Wolfgang Maieri, Anne Farmerj, Peter McGuffinj, Katherine J. Aitchisonk, Rudolf Uherj, and Ole Morsa (BJPsych 2019, 215, 494 -501)
- Treatment-resistant depression and peripheral C-reactive protein. Authors: Samuel R. Chamberlain, Jonathan Cavanagh, Peter de Boer, Valeria Mondelli, Declan N.C. Jones, Wayne C. Drevets, Philip J. Cowen, Neil A. Harrison, Linda Pointon, Carmine M. Pariante and Edward T. Bullmore (BJPsych 2019 214, 11-19)
- Clinical and biological effects of long-term lithium treatment in older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment: randomised clinical trial. Authors: Orestes V Forlenza, Marcia Radanovic, Leda L Talib, Wagner F Gattaz (BJPsych 2019, 668-674)
- Näslund J et al. Effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors on rating-scale assessed suicidality in adults with major depression. Br J Psychiatry 2018; 212 (3): 148-154.
- McAllister-Williams H et al. Multiple-therapy-resistant major depressive disorder: a clinically important concept. Br J Psychiatry 2018; 212 (5): 274-278.
Online CPD resources in psychopharmacology
- British Association for Psychopharmacology (requires a subscription)
- Royal College of Psychiatrists (one free module on polypharmacy, but the rest require a subscription).
Introduction to psychopharmacology for medical students
These videos, made by Professor Hamish McAllister-Williams, provide a useful introduction to psychopharmacology for medical students and are posted with his permission.
- Watch this first
- Introduction to Psychopharmacology
- Pharmacology of antidepressants
- Mechanism of action of antidepressants
- Pharmacological management of depression
- Hypnotics and anxiolytics
- Pharmacological management of anxiety disorders
- Pharmacology of antipsychotics
- Using antipsychotics in clinical practice
- Pharmacological management of bipolar disorder
- Using medication in the elderly
Choosing Wisely UK
The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges hosts the Choosing Wisely campaign in the UK, part of which is to identify investigations or interventions of questionable value. The campaign published recommendations for clinicians. Four of the recommendations were for psychiatrists, and three of these concerned psychopharmacology.
From the committee
In support of the Choosing Wisely campaign, the committee produced a list of five suggestions from the field of psychopharmacology.
The College has recently reminded members that they should be able to diagnose neuroleptic malignant syndrome, which is a medical emergency. The committee thought it would be helpful to post an example of the flyer that is a reminder about the diagnosis and immediate management of this syndrome.
From the European Psychiatric Association
The EPA has published the outline of a psychopharmacology-pharmacotherapy curriculum for the training of specialists in psychiatry, which it hopes will be developed at a European level. Access the outline via OpenAthens.
Web resources
- ECT Accreditation Service
- British Association for Psychopharmacology
- British National Formulary
- College of Mental Health Pharmacy (restricted access for non-members)
- Choosing Wisely UK
- Electronic Medicines Compendium- a source of Summaries of Product Characteristics (SPCs) and Patient Information Leaflets (PILs) for all medicines licensed in the UK
- European College of Neuropsychopharmacology
- European Medicines Agency
- General Medical Council
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
- PubMed (a free and up-to-date citation index of biomedical literature from a variety of sources)
- Prescribing Observatory for Mental Health (POMH-UK) (restricted access for non-members)
- The new POMH-UK Quality Improvement Programme will be on the use of depot/long-acting antipsychotic medication in relapse prevention. An updated programme can be accessed via the POMH-UK programme page.
- New POMH-UK publication on the quality of prescribing of antipsychotic medication for people with intellectual disability under the care of UK mental health services: a cross-sectional audit of clinical practice. BMJ Open 2016 6: doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-013116
- Scottish Medicines Consortium
- United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).