Abstract

MONCRIEFF, Joanna. An alternative approach to drug treatment in psychiatry. Rev. Asoc. Esp. Neuropsiq. [online]. 2018, vol.38, n.133, pp.181-193. ISSN 2340-2733.  https://dx.doi.org/10.4321/s0211-57352018000100010.

Although it is commonly believed that the benefits of psychiatric drugs are related to their capacity to compensate the underlying biology of mental disorders, the evidence supporting this perspective is poor and clearly insufficient. These beneficial effects may be due to the psychoactive properties of psychotropic drugs, which cause altered mental states that people who take them might consider a preferred option, rather than the original mental suffering. Considering this alternative approach could have significant consequences in psychiatry when proposing their use, reporting their effects, prescribing them in the short and long term, and guiding the research needed to determine the risks and benefits of their use.

Keywords : models of drug action; psychiatric drugs; psychoactive drugs; drug-centred model; disease-centred model.

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