The use and misuse of psychiatric drugs

By Joel Paris

Subjects: Standards, Evidence-based medicine, Evidence-Based Practice, Evidence-based psychiatry, Psychopharmacology, Psychotropic Drugs, Psychotropic drugs

Description: The message of this book is that psychiatrists have some very good drugs, but can expect bad results when they are over-used, prescribed outside of evidence-based indications, or given to the wrong patients. While acknowledging that many current agents are highly effective and have revolutionized the treatment of certain disorders, Joel Paris criticizes their use outside of an evidence base. Too many patients are either over-medicated or are misdiagnosed to justify aggressive treatment. Dr. Paris calls for more government funding of clinical trials to establish, without bias, the effectiven.