Pharmacovigilance for Psychiatric Pharmacotherapy

Introduction

Patients have become a priority for the health system. Several studies showed that health systems meant to improve people's health is an important source of disease. Psychiatric disorders are often managed with pharmacotherapy, and because of their chronic and relapsing nature, most practice guidelines recommend medications to be continued for several months or years. Misuse and abuse of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) has always been a public health and law enforcement challenge. Therefore, such substances always place patients/users at risk of experiencing a variety of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Some ADRs are life-threatening while others are disabling and can seriously affect the patient's quality of life.

Methods

A systematic exploratory review of the literature is performed using articles from PubMed, Scopus, Google scholar, Academia, and Research Gate, to critically appraise and the importance of pharmacovigilance for psychiatric pharmacotherapy.

Results

The systematic exploratory review show that pharmacovigilance is not only a “specialist” activity; it is the responsibility of all those involved in the care of patients with medications, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and paramedical staff.

Conclusions

This study determines the significance of pharmacovigilance and risk management plans in monitoring the safety of psychotic drugs and managing the risks of antipsychotic related ADRs. Furthermore, it provides a useful ground for the physicians, nurses, and pharmacists to acquaint themselves with concepts and methods of Pharmacovigilance in the psychiatric field.