Social Work Practice and Psychopharmacology

This comprehensive text prepares social work students to play a key role within an interdisciplinary health care team: that of counselling clients who are taking medications used to treat common mental health conditions. This third edition has been fully revised to include new medications and reflect changes resulting from the publication of the DSM 5.

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This comprehensive text—noted for its facility in integrating principles into practice--prepares social work students to play a key role within an interdisciplinary health care team: that of counseling clients who are taking medications used to treat common mental health conditions. The third edition has been fully revised to include new medications and reflect changes resulting from the publication of the DSM 5. Sample treatment plans, case examples, and a full glossary of medications have been updated, and the addition of a comprehensive Instructor’s Manual further enhances the text’s value. Also included is information on prescription drug abuse, expanded discussions of psychopharmacological considerations related to gender and culture, a new section on medical marijuana, pregnant women, and new content related to suicide warnings and internet availability and electronic records. The third edition also features a discussion of potential interactions with medications used to treat chronic conditions and emphasizes professional collaboration.

The text is replete with guidance on common medicine-related issues social workers encounter in practice, including identifying potentially dangerous drug interactions and adverse side effects, improving medication compliance, recognizing the warning signs of drug dependence, and understanding how psychopharmacology can work in conjunction with psychosocial interventions. The role of the social worker taking into account treatment planning is stressed. The text also addresses the particular needs of children, older adults, and pregnant women and the treatment of specific mental health conditions.