There is little doubt that undergraduate and post-graduate training of physicians, pharmacists, and nurses is insufficient to prepare them to use psychotropics safely and effectively, especially in the context of their expanded off-label uses. Therefore, the development of competencies in psychotropic prescribing needs to be approached as a long-term, practice-based learning commitment. Propose...

The following abstracts were presented as posters at the 2013 NEI Psychopharmacology Congress. Congratulations to the Scientific Poster Competition winners of the 2013 NEI Psychopharmacology Congress 1st Place: James Arthur Halgrimson, DO. 2nd Place: Michelle Magid, MD; Jason Reichenberg, MD; and Poppy E. Poth, CCRC. 3rd Place: Kathryn D. Moseley, MS, RD; Colleen G. Azen, MS; Martha Jean Ottina...

Cultural and economic influences on the psychopharmacological era are reviewed, in an attempt to bring into focus what has been happening in psychopharmacology for the past thirty years. It is argued that the belief that clinical advances are made through the heroic achievements of disinterested scientists is a simplistic view that may militate against future significant discoveries. Such disco...

Knowledge of psychopharmacology is essential for a clinical psychologist to practice his/her profession, regardless of whether one desires to become licensed to prescribe psychoactive medications. This commentary reiterates a call made almost 20 years ago for all practitioners to gain and utilize this knowledge. Without psychopharmacology knowledge, one is extremely limited in the ability to in...

BACKGROUND Most psychiatric programs provide lectures on basic principles of psychopharmacology. Yet, this traditional approach has been criticized due to excessive information and passive transfer of expert knowledge. An alternative teaching method is the use of "academic games." AIMS To investigate medical students' acquisition of knowledge on psychopharmacology, and their perception of a g...