Medication mental health prescribing nurse prescriber

Depression and anxiety are common, with one in six people experiencing symptoms in any given week. Of these people, 8.32 million are prescribed antidepressants. People living with HIV are likely to experience psychiatric disorder, with one in three experiencing depression and anxiety, and being at greater risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder. Sexual side-effects of psychotropic medication are very common, cause distress, and can persist even after the medication has been withdrawn. Antidepressants are powerful drugs and can have severe interactions with many other substances...

Background: Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) is a best practice for treating individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD), and primary care-based MOUD management can reduce treatment barriers among OUD patients. Individuals with OUD experience disproportionately high rates of trauma and violence, highlighting the importance of addressing trauma, mental health, and substance use concurrently. However, clear guidelines for trauma-informed treatment in a primary care setting remain poorly established. Methods: A qualitative approach was engaged to explore primary care providers' perceptions of barriers and facilitators to assessing and treating trauma among MOUD patients...

Neuroscience-based nomenclature (NbN) is a classification system for psychotropic medications based on pharmacology and mode of action. Rather than the current naming system, which is primarily based on a single indication or its chemical structure, NbN uses current scientific knowledge that provides a pharmacological rationale for medication choice. NbN limits confusion, especially when prescribing to children, as the medications are named and described in a way that is not stigmatizing or misleading. [ Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 61 (7), 9-13...

Although substance misuse (primarily alcohol and prescribed benzodiazepines and opioids) among Americans aged ≥60 years is becoming an escalating health concern, substance use disorder (SUD) is often underestimated and/or undiagnosed, preventing older adults from receiving needed treatment. Chronic medical conditions, mental health issues, and psychosocial stressors increase older adults' risks for developing SUD. Racial/ethnic minority groups (e.g., American Indian, Alaska Native) experiencing health care inequities and limited resources are more vulnerable to developing SUD...

BACKGROUND: Mental illness and medication safety are key priorities for healthcare systems around the world. Despite most patients with mental illness being treated exclusively in primary care, our understanding of medication safety challenges in this setting is fragmented. METHOD: Six electronic databases were searched between January 2000-January 2023. Google Scholar and reference lists of relevant/included studies were also screened for studies. Included studies reported data on epidemiology, aetiology, or interventions related to medication safety for patients with mental illness in primary care...

BACKGROUND: The prison environment is a place of high consumption of Benzodiazepines (BZDs), due to the anxiety and sleep disturbances, mental disorders, detoxification and trafficking. OBJECTIVE: To explore experiences of health and social care professionals on the use of BZDs in prisons, as well as the barriers and enablers to their deprescribing. METHOD: Semi-structured individual interviews with professionals working in a prison setting were performed between March and April 2022, based on an interview guide...

Opioid overdose deaths remain a major public health concern in the United States and led to the recent changes in regulations that allow nurse practitioners (NPs) to prescribe buprenorphine without the previously required Drug Addiction Treatment Act waiver. Previously, waiver requirements included 24 hours of opioid use disorder (OUD) and medications for OUD (MOUD) training. Although this training is no longer required, NPs need education related to providing nonstigmatizing care to individuals with OUD and safe MOUD prescribing practices...

BACKGROUND: Antipsychotic medications (APMs) have been used to treat multiple psychiatric disorders for decades. The conditions to use these medications have expanded from primarily psychotic disorders to Food and Drug Administration-approved uses as first-line mood stabilizers in bipolar disorder and adjunctive pharmacotherapy in unipolar depression. Antipsychotic medications can have serious side effects, including drug-induced movement disorders (DIMDs). Nurse practitioners (NPs) in non-psychiatric-mental health specialties are increasingly managing psychotropic medication regimes...

OBJECTIVES: Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Services (SPMHS) are a new development in Ireland. This service evaluation examined the impact of the introduction of a SPMHS multidisciplinary team (MDT) on prescribing practices and treatment pathways in an Irish maternity hospital. METHODS: Clinical charts were reviewed to collect data on all referrals, diagnoses, pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions delivered in a SPMHS over a 3-week period in 2019...

AIMS: To investigate the relationship between anxiety and quality of life among older adults with self-reported polypharmacy living in the long-term care setting. DESIGN: A cross-sectional design was used. METHODS: Between July 2021 and August 2022, 92 older adults living in long-term care completed an anonymous one-time questionnaire packet. Polypharmacy was measured as self-reported five or more medications daily. Anxiety was measured using the Geriatric Anxiety Scale-Long Term Care tool...

The introduction of long-acting injectable buprenorphine preparations for opioid use disorder has been widely heralded as a breakthrough treatment, with several studies indicating positive results when using these medications. In many locations, nurse practitioners prescribe, administer, and monitor long-acting injectable preparations. The objective of this paper is to explore whether a reduction in dispensed needles and syringes is attributable to increased nurse practitioner prescribing of LAIB. We used a retrospective audit of needles dispensed through the health service needle and syringe program vending machine, and individuals treated with long-acting injectable buprenorphine by the nurse practitioner led model...

While the ethics of involuntary admission for psychiatric inpatient care is widely contested, the practice is legally permissible across most jurisdictions. In many countries, laws governing the use of involuntary admission set out core criteria under which involuntary admission is permitted; these parameters broadly related to either risk of harm to self or others, need for treatment, or both. In South Africa, the use of involuntary admission is governed by the Mental Health Care Act no. 17 of 2002 (MHCA 2002), which sets out clear criteria to direct mental healthcare practitioners' decision-making and delineates a process by which decision-making should occur...

Alcohol and other drug (AOD) nurse practitioners have an advanced scope of practice that allows them to diagnose, prescribe pharmacological treatments for alcohol and other substance use disorders, and monitor physical and mental health. The Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) is used to understand barriers and facilitators to implementation by applying three conditions of behaviour change (capability, opportunity, and motivation-the COM-B framework). The aim of this paper is to describe the current AOD nurse practitioner workforce, and to explore barriers and facilitators to AOD nurse practitioner uptake in Australia...

BACKGROUND: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is overrepresented within the United States. Naltrexone, a recommended treatment for AUD, is underutilized. However, the prescribing behaviors of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) regarding naltrexone for AUD patients have not been studied. The purpose of our study was to explore the prescriptive practices of a sample of APRNs. AIMS: To describe and analyze survey responses of a sample of Ohio APRNs with training in medication for addiction treatment (MAT) for substance use disorders (as evidenced by DEA x-waiver receipt) regarding prescribing practices of naltrexone for AUD patients...

INTRODUCTION: Drug overdoses have reached a historic milestone of over 100,000 deaths in a single year, 75,673 related to opioids. The acceleration in opioid-related deaths coupled with stark health inequities demands a close examination of opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment barriers and swift consideration of policy changes. DESIGN: The aim of this buprenorphine policy analysis is to summarize existing buprenorphine barriers and present policy solutions to improve access and actualize the contributions of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs)...

Atypical antipsychotics are increasingly used to treat children and adolescents with a variety of mental and behavioral symptoms, despite restrictive U.S. Food and Drug Administration indications. A recent taskforce advocates for a symptom-based approach to atypical antipsychotic use, rather than by diagnosis alone. Cautious prescribing of atypical antipsychotics should only take place after careful diagnostic assessment, review of prior treatments, and trials of other evidence-based medications. When used, monitoring metabolic indicators is crucial for the health and safety of patients...

BACKGROUND: Medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) includes administering medications such as buprenorphine or methadone, often with mental health services. MOUD has been shown to significantly improve outcomes and success of recovery from opioid use disorder. In WV, only 18% of providers including physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners are waivered, and 44% of non-waivered providers were not interested in free training even if compensated. This exploratory research seeks to understand intervention-related stigma in community-based primary care providers in rural West Virginia, determine whether financial incentives for training may be linked to levels of stigma, and what level of financial incentives would be required for non-adopters of MOUD services provision to obtain training...

BACKGROUND: Older adults with serious mental illness (SMI) often have multiple comorbidities and complex medication schedules. Shortages of behavioral health specialists (BHSs), especially in rural areas, frequently make primary care providers (PCPs) the only clinician managing this complex population. The aim of this study was to describe rural/urban psychiatric medication prescribing in older adults with SMI by PCPs and BHSs, and by clinician type. METHODS: This retrospective descriptive analysis used 2018 Medicare data to identify individuals with a bipolar, major depression, schizophrenia, or psychosis diagnosis and examined medication claims for antianxiety, antidepressants, antipsychotics, hypnotics, and anticonvulsants...

Opioid use disorder (OUD), overdose, and death have exploded in the United States in the past 2 decades. The number of pregnant and birthing people reporting opioid use and misuse is also rising. Co-occurring mental illness, multisubstance use, and associated medical comorbidities often complicate care for pregnant individuals with OUD. Neonates who are exposed to opioids in utero are at risk for neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome and other short- and long-term sequelae. Recent changes to the Department of Health and Human Services Practice Guidelines for the Administration of Buprenorphine for Treating Opioid Use Disorder have now provided a pathway for midwives to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid use disorder (OUD) for up to 30 individuals at one time without further training or certification of ancillary services...

INTRODUCTION: Substance use is highly prevalent among people with mood disorders. Effective treatment for these people requires a better understanding of the relationship between both mood and substance use from the perspectives of those with lived experience. QUESTION: What are the reasons those with lived experience of mood disorders give for substance use? METHOD: An integrative review was conducted. The Joanna Briggs Institute suite of critical appraisal tools was used to evaluate the quality of individual studies...