Certificate in Psychiatric Drugs Awareness

This course explains what types of psychiatric drugs may be prescribed for different mental health disorders, the risks versus benefits of the medication, and how patients cope with different drug regimes. Brief up-to-date details are given of each disorder so this unit also acts as a guide to the field of mental illness.

Questionnaires are included that patients can use to judge whether they may be experiencing side effects. There is also background information about the pharmaceutical industry, how it researches and markets its drugs, and the debate about responsible versus haphazard prescribing and the use of psychoactive drugs on children. Anyone concerned about or needing to be informed about the use of prescribed drugs for mental health issues, and needing more information, will benefit from this course.

Topics include:

• Brief descriptions of how drugs work
• Brief introductions to various mental health problems
• How the following conditions are managed:
• Psychoses (including schizophrenia)
• Depression
• Bipolar Disorder
• Anxiety
• Children's mental health problems
• Sleep disorders/insomnia
• Dementia and cognitive impairment
• Sexual problems

Plus additional material on:

• Dependent and withdrawal
• Side-effects (with questionnaires)
• Legal issues (consent, liability)
• Abuse of psychiatric drugs
• Marketing of psychiatric drugs
• Ethics and the drug industry
• Problems with drug research

Recommendations for further reading and list of web sites

This course will be of interest to counsellors, hypnotherapists, psychotherapists, complementary practitioners, volunteers and others who come into contact with people taking psychiatric drugs, as well as all those who care for mental health patients and for people who have been prescribed medication for mental health conditions. Those who study this course will be better able to understand the applications and risks of psychiatric drugs and to discuss their use with other people involved including doctors. If you are a therapy tutor/trainer, this course will give you the knowledge to incorporate a module on psychiatric drugs in your syllabus.

The course will also benefit students who are hoping to apply to university to study nursing, pharmacy, clinical psychology, social work, etc. since you will be able to talk about your knowledge at interview.

If you are a qualified therapist or health professional this course will lead to the
Certificate of Professional Development in Psychiatric Drugs Awareness - P.D. Cert. (Psych. Drugs)

Recommended period of study: approx. 3 months or less.

A FREE textbook will be included for students from the UK.

Students outside the UK will need to pay extra for the textbook and postage.

Study will be carried out by reading the textbook and submitting written assignments – these can be sent by e-mail. There is no minimum study time and the student may complete the course by submitting all coursework to satisfactory standard.