Abstract
Objective: To provide information about knowledge of adverse effects of psychotropic medications in a group of female veteran and nonveteran psychiatric outpatients. Design: Questionnaire. Setting: Westside Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center and the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Patients: Thirty-five female psychiatric outpatients, 17 from the VA Medical Center and 18 from UIC. Main Outcome Measure: Number of adverse effects patients were able to recognize. Results: Veterans demonstrated significantly more knowledge of adverse effects than did nonveterans for antipsychotic, antidepressant, and anxiolytic medications. Conclusions: The data support the provision of extensive personalized psychoeducation consisting of structured group programs for didactic lessons, discussion, and question and answer, such as those provided by the VA Medical Center studied here. As funding for mental services decreases, clinicians should recognize the ongoing benefits that personalized interactive patient education can provide.
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