College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists

CPNP’s Drug-Induced Movement Disorders DVD is a unique and valuable training tool. The DVD features examinations of patients who display varying severities of movement disorders with the goal to demonstrate proper scale administration technique and consistent rating of movement severity. Featured rating scales include the more commonly utilized movement disorder rating scales—the AIMS, DISCUS, MSAS and BARS.

All individuals receiving pharmacotherapy for a mental illness should be fully educated about their disorder and their drug therapy, and have appropriate expectations of their treatment.  Clinicians who treat these individuals should ensure that therapeutic outcomes are maximized, and adverse effects are minimized and appropriately managed. For over 40 years, some pharmacists have specialized in providing pharmaceutical care to individuals receiving psychotherapeutic medication. As a member of an interprofessional treatment team, the psychiatric pharmacist focuses on optimizing drug treatment by monitoring clinical response, recognizing and managing drug-induced problems, recommending appropriate treatment plans, ensuring that baseline and follow-up laboratory tests and physical assessments pertinent to drug therapy are ordered and utilized, and counseling the patient and family members about their medication.

If you are a pharmacy student, this video can give you some insight into what the neuropsychiatric specialty holds in store for you.

Psychiatric pharmacists play an active role in promoting mental health. Watch to see some ways pharmacists affect everyone from physicians to consumers.