Nursing management of psychotropic drug reactions

The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in primary care is approximately 22%. These disorders include major depressive disorder, panic disorder, alcohol dependence/abuse, generalized anxiety disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The deinstitutionalization movement has placed an increasing number of severe and persistently mentally ill persons, defined as those with schizophrenia, psychosis, bipolar, and unipolar disorders, into the community. Nurses working in acute primary care, home health, and long-term medical settings can expect to encounter patients who are using prescriptive psychotropic medications; these patients may be experiencing adverse reactions. This article discusses antidepressants, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, anxiolytics and specific medications for children and the elderly, and their adverse effects as a way of assisting nurses in making appropriate patient assessments.