Making Sense of Psychiatric Drugs
Making Sense of Psychiatric Drugs
Issue 41 – September 2014
Authors: Steven Coles and Joanna Moncrieff (steven.coles@nottshc.nhs.uk)Key points
- Service users’ experiences of taking psychiatric drugs are varied, but often ignored
- Evidence for the chemical imbalance theory of psychiatric drug action is weak
- An alternative ‘drug model’ views psychiatric medications as working in a similar manner to other non-prescription drugs such as alcohol, and highlights the subjective experience of taking medication