Psychopharmacologic Approaches to Treatment of Psychopathology
Suffering from mental illness comes with a lot of challenges. From varying symptoms, disabilities, physical, mental, and emotional difficulties that are associated with the conditions to stigma and discrimination from the public that result from misconceptions about mental illnesses. As a result, these people have limited access to job opportunities, quality health care, proper housing, and other services that add quality to life.
Treatment of mental illnesses is done by Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNP) who are registered and adequately trained to treat a wide range of mental illnesses. They are trained to discern psychiatric symptoms, make a diagnosis, provide therapy, and also prescribe medications to their patients. To make a proper diagnosis, the PNHNP must;
1. Explain the agonist-to-antagonist spectrum of action of psychopharmacologic agents.
As a PNHNP, it is critical to have a strong background in foundational neuroscience. This means that they must clearly understand the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders and the impacts of different medications on the central nervous system. Foundational neuroscience is not a simple discipline to understand; however, a PNHNP must try to familiarize themselves with the language, think clearly through the concepts, and seek guidance from colleagues before making a final diagnosis.
2. Compare and contrast the actions of g couple proteins and ion gated channels.
Ion channels play a significant role in the nervous system allowing conversion of chemical neurotransmitters into electric currents within the brain. Efficient neurotransmission requires a precise interplay of various neurotransmitters receptors at the different receptor sites. To make a proper diagnosis, the PNHNP must first understand this interplay.
3. Explain the role of epigenetics in pharmacologic action.
Epigenetics is the study of gene expression. Epigenetic alterations influence the state of a disease in an organism. Pharmacologic actions have the tendency to alter the genes to gain the desired effect. These alterations include DNA methylation and acetylation, which are influenced by pharmaceuticals including psychiatric medications
4. Finally, the PNHNP must be able to relate all possible impacts of the above information on the diagnosis and prescription. He or she should be able to explain the mechanism of action of a particular medication to a given psychiatric mental condition. This will ensure that the practitioner only prescribes the best medicines to the patient.
It is, therefore, very crucial for a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner to have a strong background in foundational neuroscience. A proper diagnosis not only calls for a clear understanding of pathophysiology and health disorders but also mechanisms of action of different medications and their impact on the central nervous system.

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