Author Description

A generation of social work students has benefited from Kia Bentley and Joseph Walsh’s practical approach to the social worker’s role in psychopharmacology. New coauthor Shannon Hughes brings even more fresh ideas to the updated Fifth Edition. Important updates include: • updated and expanded drug information and tables including names, typical dosages, potential adverse effects, as well as never-before-included FDA approval information • updated content on psychogenomics as well as added new content on medication use with sexual minorities and gender diverse people • more explicit criticisms of the chemical imbalance theory and the use of the term “anosognosia” • more comprehensive guidelines for talking to children, parents, and teachers about psychiatric medication • expanded content on shared decision-making, including a presentation on what we think “truth-telling” about medication looks like in the 21st century • explicit content on the centrality of avoiding both subtle and overt coercion • new section on medication discontinuation and “deprescribing” and the role of social work in supporting these trends • expanded section on prescription-writing privileges to account for the recognition of physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists in those roles • new section on the use of psychedelics in psychiatry • acknowledgement of the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and telemedicine on the future of both social work and psychopharmacological practice • significantly increased attention to the human rights/social justice interface of social work and psychopharmacology