Quick Reference to Medications Used in Mental Health

Scope and Purpose

From a client’s point of view, the information provided in this section about medications used in mental health is intended as a quick summary and a point of departure for exploring other, more comprehensive and more authoritative sources of information about drugs which might have been prescribed for them or which interest them for any other reasons.

From a practitioner’s point of view, virtually all practitioners will find themselves working with clients who are taking prescription medications. In my own experience, clients not infrequently want to discuss how they feel about taking medications, and in my view it is important that practitioners make themselves aware of some of the basic facts about these medications. The information here is not intended to be complete or authoritative, but only to serve as a ‘quick reference’ which may be used in conjunction with other, more comprehensive and more authoritative sources of information.

Several more comprehensive and authoritative sources of information are listed in the Psychiatry, Medicine and Psychopharmacology section on the page of Other Web Resources. They include the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, the ‘Your Medicines - Any Questions?’ site, and the British National Formulary. MedLibrary.org provides a searchable database covering a broad range of drugs. And more resources are available in the Psychiatry and Medicine section of our Annotated Bibliography.

Please note that the collection of medications featured here is still quite small, with many drug groups either under-represented or not appearing at all (e.g., mood stabilisers). The small list of featured drugs will grow over time.

Medication Literature Abstracts and Mental Health Clinical Trials Information

Our library of clinical trials research and drug articles abstracts features lists of ongoing clinical research trials as well as abstracts from the latest articles published in leading medical journals about popular medications. Each page of individual drug information includes a link to the corresponding page of clinical trials and research article abstracts.

Background on the Online Discount Drug Controversy

Another subsection includes background information about the pharmaceutical industry and its controversial pricing practices, with a particular focus on the market in the United States. There is also specific information about buying discount drugs online (including recommendations for Canadian discount pharmacies and Mexican discount pharmacies), about the legal issues surrounding personal drug imports, and about generic vs. branded medications.

Disclaimer and Limitations

The information provided here has been summarized in good faith purely for educational purposes. It is not intended in any way to replace the advice of a qualified medical professional. Please do not take any action on the basis of information contained here without consulting a physician. Unless otherwise specified, information is intended to apply only to adult use of the medication. Drug interaction precautions have not been included; please consult another source for this information.

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