Psychology of Psychopharmacology

Primer

The Psychology of Psychopharmacology plays a huge role on patient and provider expectations of medications. This goes beyond the placebo effect, and there is strong evidence that shows psychological and interpersonal factors have a significant effect in psychopharmacology.[1] The pill, the patient, the prescriber, and the partnership all play a role in pharmacotherapy response and non-response. The therapeutic alliance in the doctor-patient relationship also has a significant impact on outcomes too.[2]

“Given that the evidence suggests that non-pharmacologic aspects of medications play a major (and perhaps even primary) role, it seems clear that this evidence should be well represented in the psychopharmacology curriculum. One might even argue that if more than half the benefit that patients derive from medications comes from meaning and interpersonal factors, then more than half of the psychopharmacology didactics should focus on those factors.”[3]

– Mallow and Mintz (2013)

Placebo Effect

Hippocratic Psychopharmacology

Recovery-Oriented Prescribing

Chapter 27: Psychopharmacology and Medication Adherence, Ron Diamond,MD (Handbook of Community Psychiatry)

Resources

References

1) Mallo, C. J., & Mintz, D. L. (2013). Teaching all the evidence bases: Reintegrating psychodynamic aspects of prescribing into psychopharmacology training. Psychodynamic psychiatry, 41(1), 13-37.
2) Totura, C. M. W., Fields, S. A., & Karver, M. S. (2018). The role of the therapeutic relationship in psychopharmacological treatment outcomes: a meta-analytic review. Psychiatric Services, 69(1), 41-47.
3) Mallo, C. J., & Mintz, D. L. (2013). Teaching all the evidence bases: Reintegrating psychodynamic aspects of prescribing into psychopharmacology training. Psychodynamic psychiatry, 41(1), 13-37.