Thinking about Prescribing: The Psychology of Psychopharmacology with Diverse Youth and Families

Our remedies are only largely as good as the way in which we dispense them.

That's the central premise of Thinking About Prescribing, a new volume that encourages psychopharmacotherapists to view the prescribing of a medication to young patients not as the beginning of the end of a therapeutic conversation, but rather as the beginning of an ongoing alliance with youths and their parents or legal guardians.

The book makes the case for a partnership that doesn't lean on psychiatric jargon or an encyclopedic list of side effects, but instead on measured candor, vulnerability, and--most importantly--time.

Thinking About Prescribing leverages the knowledge of more than two dozen experts as it tackles topics that include: - Understanding the psychodynamics of medication use in adolescents with serious mental illness- Engaging in psychoeducation with patients and their families- Being cognizant of the synergistic role of pediatricians, advanced practice clinicians, other primary care providers, and psychotherapists- Prescribing via telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic- Working with diverse youth and their families

Many of the chapters feature key takeaways and conclusions that distill the most salient points and that aid in knowledge retention.

Rather than raise unrealistic expectations (two chapters acknowledge the reality of practicing when time and resources are scarce), the goal of this book is to help psychopharmacotherapists dispel any feelings of stigma, apprehension, or resignation their patients may have and to instead build a trusting therapeutic relationship.