What is Conservative, Individualized Psychiatric Prescribing at Northeast Women’s Psychiatry?
In striving to relieve mental health suffering, we often turn to psychiatric medications. The decision to take medication (or even to meet with someone who prescribes psychiatric medication) can be an overwhelming one. Many patients aren’t sure if medication is right for them. They fear starting a medication and then being ”stuck on it for life.” They worry about the meaning that medication holds. (“Am I a failure?”) Clinical experience and research suggest that patients respond best to pharmacotherapy when they feel understood by their prescriber. At Northeast Women’s Psychiatry, you are HEARD. Your worries, concerns, doubts, and questions are heard. You have a safe place with your prescriber to explore your thoughts about medication.
This partnership between patient and prescriber starts with sharing responsibility for the medication treatment plan. The patient agrees to take the medication as prescribed and accurately report its efficacy and side effects. For the patient, there is assurance that the prescriber will be available for consultation as the treatment progresses. For the prescriber, there is assurance of a cooperative patient who can be trusted to make contact if any issue related to the treatment arises.
Offering psychiatric medication may be more complicated than simply picking the right drug and dosage. Patient factors like age, gender, and individual wishes are considered. Sensitivity to the patient’s background and beliefs can help facilitate effective prescribing. Here, at Northeast Women’s Psychiatry, our goal is to think beyond just prescribing a drug. Instead, the intent is to look at the bigger picture and assess the many areas that could be addressed in addition to (or instead of) using medication. For some, this means using a non-drug therapy (exercise, nutrition, or other behavior changes,) treating the underlying cause of the problem, or preventing the problem from the start.
If psychiatric medication is used with a patient, it’s essential to practice strategic prescribing. This means putting off or waiting on non-urgent drug treatment, avoiding unnecessary drug switching, and starting treatment with only one new drug at a time. Keeping things simple both serves to prevent overwhelm for the patient and also to make it clear for all when a medication is working or not. More medication doesn't always equate to better outcomes!
Patient education is at the cornerstone of prescribing at Northeast Women’s Psychiatry. We believe that women need to be adequately educated on their diagnoses and treatment plan, and fully informed so as to make decisions as a consumer. If a patient understands the adverse effects, drug reactions, or withdrawal syndromes that may occur in psychopharmacology, they can collaborate and communicate more effectively with their prescriber. Northeast Women’s Psychiatry prides itself on having the expertise of providers with decades of clinical experience, intuition, and specialized training. Together, the well-informed patient and her provider can make best-fit treatment plans to optimize outcomes.