Psychiatric Drugs “A Crude Form of Chemical Restraint”

In a new article, mental health nurse Timothy Wand argues for conservative use of psychiatric drugs, for advising patients of the risks of the drugs, and for informing patients there is no known biological cause for “mental illness.”

He suggests that mental health nursing has a key role to play in helping people discontinue the drugs.

“With the knowledge that there is no clear or direct neuro-biogenic cause for mental illness or identifiable disease process, the indication is that psychotropic drugs provide no more than a crude form of chemical restraint,” Wand writes.

He adds, “While this may have appeal for blunting mental distress, the long-term trade-off for the adverse effect burden and consequences when trying to discontinue these agents needs to be considered by clinicians and openly discussed with people in their care.”

“If psychotropic drugs are prescribed then the overriding principle is that they should be used conservatively, at the lowest dose and for the shortest time possible,” he writes.

Wand is a full professor at the University of Wollongong, Australia. The article was published in Issues in Mental Health Nursing.