MHE launches a ‘Short Guide to Psychiatric Drugs’

Mental Health Europe (MHE) launches a new resource for people experiencing mental health difficulties. A ‘Short Guide to Psychiatric Drugs’ follows on from ‘A Guide to Personal Recovery in Mental Health’ and is the third publication in a series of short guides.  

This series aims to help people who have personal contact with the mental health system – either during or after receiving a diagnosis – to stay better informed. ‘A Short Guide to Psychiatric Diagnosis’ was produced for people who receive a mental health diagnosis. The ‘Guide to Personal Recovery in Mental Health’ aims to describe ways of thinking about, managing and overcoming mental ill-health. This latest ‘Short Guide to Psychiatric Drugs’ was created for people taking medication. It explores the different types of psychiatric drugs, their effects and what to keep in mind when you start or stop taking them.

Psychiatric drugs are substances capable of affecting the mind, emotions and behaviour. They can alter the way we think, feel and see the world. Some of their effects are experienced as beneficial; producing a temporary sense of calm or wellbeing that may be preferable to the previous state of distress or agitation. On the other hand, as with all drugs that act on the chemistry of the brain, there can be other less desirable effects that are unpleasant, impair functioning and can endanger general health. Additionally, the adaptations made by the body to deal with the changes produced by the drug can also mean that stopping taking it can produce unpleasant effects that last for a long time, sometimes forever. Psychiatric drugs are best understood as tools that may, or may not, be helpful to persons at particular points in their lives. Beginning a course of psychiatric drugs is therefore not a decision to be taken lightly and one about which both doctor and client need to be fully informed.  

Download the Guide in the language of your choice (see below):