[How to prescribe psychotropic drugs in primary care]

What primary care physicians should consider when prescribing psychotropic drugs was described. (1) Diagnosis of mental disorders and target symptoms of pharmacotherapy should be clarified before prescribing psychotropic drugs. (2) Psychological treatments are as important as pharmacotherapy. (3) Psychotropic drugs should begin from a small amount and increased gradually. (4) Placebo effects are large in the pharmacotherapy of mental disorders. (5) Motor ataxia, dizziness, delirium and paradoxical reaction should be noted in prescribing benzodiazepines. (6) Headache, diarrhea, nausea, and activation and withdrawal syndromes are often seen in the treatment using SSRIs, though their side effects are believed to be few.