Psychopharmacology and Neurosciences - Essay Example

PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCES Student Name Institution Date Introduction Apart from the provision of a good social atmosphere and comfort for the patient, medication is one of the important steps in treatment and recovery of patients with mental disorders. To control the moods of patients and avoid incidences such as depression in patients, there is the need for the patients to be provided with medications that improve the quality of their health. Depending on the patient’s illness and severity, medication can be used together with psychotherapy. Medications are used in the treatment of an array of mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia among others. The pills used in the treatment of mental illnesses are many and diverse in functioning. The scientific study of how these drugs impact on the behaviour, thinking, mood and the feelings of an individual (Schatzberg and Nemeroff, 2009). The effective functioning of these drugs, however, require an interaction with particular sites in the brain to induce the desired feelings or moods in patients. Commonly, the drugs used in psychopharmacological studies are either chemically manufactured in the laboratory or have their origin in biological sources such as plants and animals. In psychopharmacology, different psychotropic medicines are used in the treatment of various conditions (Wegmann, 2012). For instance, the treatment of bipolar disorder requires that lithium be administered to the patients. Such psychotropic medicines are required by the patients to alter their behaviour and mood from the instability caused by the mental problem. Examples of psychotropic drugs used in the treatment of mental health conditions are antipsychotics used for the blockage of dopamine receptors in the brain, believed to be overactive in patients with certain mental disorders. These drugs, however, can alter the patients’ metabolism resulting in increased weight and the risk of diabetes. Other drugs that are used in the treatment of mental conditions include; antidepressants, mood stabilizers, anxiety disorder drugs and ADHD medicines. Neurosciences, on the other hand, deals with the study of the nervous system, that is, its development, structure and function. Neurosciences also deal with the brain and its effects on the behaviour and the ability of a person to recognize something. Neuroscientists are, therefore, are concern with the impacts on the nervous system of instances where patients have neurodevelopmental, neural or psychiatric disorders. This paper focuses mainly on the relationship between knowledge from neurosciences and pharmacology and treatment of patients using psychotropic medicines as well as the role of nurses in the proper management of patients under psychotropic medication. Discussion Since psychopharmacology deals with the impacts of drugs on the mood, behaviour and the cognitive aspects of an individual, all of which are stimulated by different brain cells as studied in neurological sciences, there is the need to integrate knowledge from the two disciplines in the effective treatment of mental illnesses. One of the reasons why integrating the knowledge in the two disciplines is important is for the proper diagnosis of patients. In most cases in mental health institutions, provisional diagnosis is based on what the psychiatrist can see from the patient. Since most of the medical disorders have similar symptoms, this kind of diagnosis is commonly inefficient. As a result, patients are referred to the hospital laboratories for brain tests which establish the affected part of the brain and doctors can then provide patients with psychotropic drugs to treat the mental disorder in question. Another way through which integrating knowledge from psychopharmacology and neurosciences can be used in the treatment of patients with mental disorders in establishing the causal factors of mental illnesses (Jests and Friedman, 2009). In psychiatry, for instance, focus is commonly given to the external causes of mental disorders such as cultural, personal and interpersonal attributes. However, neurology studies the biological causes of the diseases such as the genetic make-up of individuals and neural diseases that can result in the inability of the brain to function effectively. Putting together the diverse knowledge from these two different fields can help in improving the practitioners’ understanding of the origin and prognosis of the mental condition in question, hence provision of better psychotropic treatment that covers the causes mentioned in the diagnosis. This understanding can also help in the development of better remediation strategies or rehabilitation depending on the mental illness in question. Hence patients with different mental conditions can find it easy to cope due to proper diagnosis and treatment. Psychotherapy is also another way through which putting together psychopharmacological and neurological knowledge can be used in developing efficient treatment through the use of psychotropic drugs. Currently, with the emergence of neuroimaging techniques with high temporal resolution, the biological effects of psychotherapy on patients can be adequately analysed. Hence, it can be used together with other medication for the proper treatment of patients with mental disorders. This helps in linking certain mental conditions with the functioning of the brain and establish the relationship between the brain and the environment, hence effective course of treatment using psychotropic drugs. The other way through which integrating the two disciplines is through a proper understanding of the chemical balance within the brain. One of the causes of mental illnesses is the imbalance in the brain chemicals leading to over action of some parts of the brain. Although psychiatry studies can diagnose a mental disorder based on the physical factors, there is the need to look into the effects the effects of the psychotropic drugs on the brains of the patients. As a result, it is significant for medics to understand the functioning of the brain to be able to prescribe proper drugs for each mental condition without interfering with the proper functioning of the brain. The knowledge of both pharmacological and neurological disciplines can also help in determining what kind of psychotropic medication to be given to which patient. Some of the medications have diverse effects on patients’ health status such as the development of organs, especially in children. Understanding the relationship between the two, for instance, can help in making tough decisions such as whether or not a consumer should use the drugs during pregnancy. The main reason why such decisions are made is because some of the medications can cause complications in foetal development hence causing malformations in children. It is, therefore, important to understand the effectiveness of psychotropic drugs administered for the treatment of a mental condition as well as the neural and biological effects it may cause on patients hence proper treatment. The role of nurses in management of patients under psychotropic drugs At the heart of the provision of better medical services to patients in the mental hospitals is the role played by nurses. Nurses in any given country and hospital department work under nursing guidelines provided by that country. One of the roles played by the nurses in the effective management of consumers under psychotropic medicines is the provision of education regarding the prescribed medicines. The provision of education regarding the effectiveness of a particular psychotropic drug in the treatment of a mental disorder and the side effects it may have on the consumers is the function of nurses in mental hospitals (Goldberg and Ernst, 2012). There is also the need of the family to be provided with knowledge regarding the effective use of the medication provided. Another critical role of the nurses in the provision of better care for the mentally ill patients is medical reconciliation. Medical reconciliation involves the matching of the actual prescriptions a patient is given with the prescriptions that should be in place. In Australia for instance, the National Medical Management Plan provide the nurses with forms that should be filled regarding the patients’ use of medicine before the hospital visit and upon admission. This way, with the help of doctors, the nurses are able to identify the history of the medication of the patients and perform medical reconciliation for the patients upon admission in the mental hospitals. As a result, the patients are able to get the efficient psychotropic drugs for treatment of their medical conditions (WHO, 2007). The safe management of patients with different medical conditions also require the proper understanding and adherence to the six rights of medication. It is the duty of nurses to ensure that the right psychotropic drugs are administered with the right doses to the right patients at the right time, following the right procedure and afterwards a right documentation should be recorded. Adherence to these requirements enable the nurses to ensure that the patients under their care get the right treatment from the psychotropic drugs as recorded in the guidelines. This way, issues such as over dosage or inappropriate use of the psychotropic medicines are avoided. The other role of the nurses in the provision of better medical services for mental health patients is the assessment of an individual for the efficacy of the medicine administered. In some instances, some psychotropic drugs may be administered to patients who are not effective for their sicknesses or conditions at the time (Funk et al., 2003). For instance, the use of drugs for the treatment of mental disorders during pregnancy, for instance, can have an array of impacts on foetal development thus resulting in abnormal organ development and malformation of the resulting child. It is, therefore, the duty of nurses to ensure that effective and efficient medication is given to patients with such conditions to avoid negative impacts. It is also the duty of nurses to ensure that the patients do not react to the medications provided. Nurses also play a critical role in the prescription of psychotropic medicines for the patients under their care (Elder et al., 2009). However, in practical cases, nurses in the developing world are more likely to offer prescriptions than in the developing world. The ability of nurses to offer medical prescriptions for mental health cases is tagged to their membership in the mental health teams and is protected both by national regulations and international treaties. The work of nurses, therefore, is not only care giving for the patients with mental health but also the provision of medication for patients as well as the continual prescriptions of the medicines. This way they are able to follow up the treatment of the patients hence provision of better health care. Apart from primary caregiving, nurses are also involved in the secondary care giving such as the follow-up of patients after the treatment in hospitals. To ensure that patients strictly adhere to the medications prescribed as well as the well- being of the patients after hospitalization, nurses commonly conduct follow-ups of their patients (Vincent, 2009). As a result, the nurses are able to ensure that the conditions of the patients do not deteriorate by conducting home visits and advising the patients and their families on the importance of the proper use of the psychotropic drugs prescribed as well as the dangers of misuse of the drugs. Finally, the most recent role of nurses in mental health care clinics is telenursing (Kumar and Snooks, 2011). Telenursing helps nurses in the provision of care to patients who have difficulties making it to mental clinics but still need mental care and treatment using the psychotropic drugs. Some patients with severe neural disorders or patients who are also aged require special and unique care which can only be offered by nurses. Since the patients are limited by the disease conditions or distances to reach hospitals, telenursing helps such patients through online video conferencing. The nurses are able to prescribe psychotropic medications for the patients online and do follow ups for the patients. Patients can be referred in cases of complications (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Institute of Medicine, 2011). Conclusion From the above discussion, it is clear that nurses perform the most significant and difficult roles in the provision of care and education of patients with various medical conditions. However, in many countries, the role played by nurses is commonly overlooked and unappreciated. Therefore, there a need for nurses to be involved in decision making and policy formulation regarding mental health practises to boost their morale in the provision of care and proper management of mentally ill patients under psychotropic medication. References Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing, at the Institute of Medicine., Robert Wood Johnson Foundation., & Institute of Medicine (U.S.). (2011). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press. Elder, R., Evans, K., & Nizette, D. (2009). Psychiatric and mental health nursing. Sydney: Mosby Elsevier. Funk, M., Saraceno, B., Haak, H., & World Health Organization. (2003). Improving access and use of psychotropic medicines. Geneva: World Health Organization. Goldberg, J. F., & Ernst, C. L. (2012). 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