Main groups of psychotropic medications Antipsychotic drugs (neuroleptics) help to manage psychotic symptoms such as agitation, hallucinations (hearing or seeing things that are not there), delu‑ sions (false beliefs) and disorganised thinking. Antidepressants treat symptoms of depression and anxiety. Anxiolytic drugs (tranquillisers) decrease levels of anxiety and agitation. In addition, certain psychostimulants are useful in treating attention‑defcit disorder (ADHD) and there are drugs used to stabilise mood fuctuations (thymostabilisers). Common problems in psychopharmacotherapy Psychopharmacologic medication often forms a necessary part of the treatment given to patients with mental disorders. Procedures must be in place to ensure that any medication prescribed is properly provided, that patients take it and that a regular supply of appropriate medicine is guaranteed. There should also be vigilance for any indications of the misuse of medication. Like any other treatment, psychopharmacologic treatment of mental disorders has its pros and cons. The most common problems are the following: X lack of efcacy, often leading to the use of dosages exceeding therapeutic recommendations, X side‑efects of medication, some of which are not difcult to detect (parkinsonism, dystonias) – some side‑efects can be discovered by tests (agaranulocytosis, hyperprolactinaemia), questioning (sexual dysfunction) or careful observation of secondary symptoms (hirsutism, metabolic syndrome), X the need to use combinations of medication, when interactions between diferent drugs are important: there can be both pharmacokinetic interactions (changes in absorption, binding with proteins, metabolism or excretion) and pharmacodynamic interactions. 2.4 Consent to treatment in psychiatry Psychiatric patients should, as a matter of principle, be placed in a position to give their free and informed consent to treatment. The admission of persons to a psychiatric unit on an involuntary basis – be it in the context of civil or criminal proceedings – should not preclude staf from seeking their informed consent to treatment. Psychiatric care and treatment plans Page 35