The Psychotherapist's Guide to Psychopharmacology

Aiming to close the gap between providers that prescribe medication and those that do not, Michael J. Gitlin gives professionals a source of information regarding the use of medication as a viable treatment option for psychiatric and psychological disorders. This comprehensive source of information about the medical aspects of modern psychiatry is the perfect step to understanding the use of prescriptions in treating psychological and psychiatric disorders for therapists who cannot or do not often prescribe psychotropic medications. Gitlin approaches psychopharmacology by looking at a psychiatric disorder and what medications could be used in its treatment, as well as by individually outlining medications and what disorders they can aid. Though written with clinical psychologist, social works, clinical therapists, and many other counselors in mind, The Psychotherapist’s Guide to Psychopharmacology avoids the use of technical language and gives descriptions of the disorders for which medications are prescribed, making it a great resource for both professionals and anyone interested in the topic.

In the last 20 years much work has been done on the influence of brain biochemistry on mood and behaviour and on pharmacological approaches to treating mental and emotional disorders. Partly as a result of this fact, a large proportion of patients who consult psychotherapists are already on medication of some sort. This book presents an overview of psychopharmacology for psychotherapists. It is designed to help them to treat patients in a way that takes into account the effects of the medication, and to recognize when some kind of pharmacological assistance might be useful in treating a disorder.