A motivational interviewing course for pharmacy students.

Objective: To create, implement, and evaluate a pharmacy course on motivational interviewing.

Design: A 3-hour elective course was created to train doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students in brief patient-centered motivational interviewing counseling strategies that have proven effective with the types of health issues most commonly addressed in pharmacy settings. Students were assisted in developing their skills through required readings, interactive lectures, in-class demonstrations and practice sessions, out of class skills practice, one-on-one supervision provided by doctoral level clinical health psychology students, and written reflections on each class session.

Historical review of carbamazepine for the treatment of bipolar disorder.

The management of bipolar disorder has seen significant evolution in terms of the number of treatment options now approved for both the acutely manic phase and the maintenance stages of the illness. In addition, new formulations of traditional agents are available for clinicians to use in their treatment approach. One such example is carbamazepine, which has approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of acute and mixed mania in an extended-release formulation that uses a three-bead delivery system.

Emerging treatments for bipolar disorder: safety and adverse effect profiles.

Objective: To provide an overview of the safety and tolerability of newer agents used to treat bipolar disorder (BPD) and provide clinicians with management strategies for drug-related toxicity and adverse effects.

Data Sources: MEDLINE was searched through July 2005 for BPD treatment, adverse effects, tolerability, safety, emerging agents, atypical antipsychotics, new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), risperidone, quetiapine, clozapine, ziprasidone, aripiprazole, lamotrigine, topiramate, gabapentin, oxcarbazepine, and olanzapine.

Study Selection And Data Extraction: Results from randomized controlled trials, open-label studies, and reviews are described.

Extended-release divalproex sodium for mood stabilization.

Study Objective: To evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of extended-release divalproex sodium.

Design: Prospective, open-label, 4-week study

Setting: Long-term care facility of the Missouri Department of Mental Health.

Patients: Ten hospitalized patients (mean age 39.

Selecting a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor: Clinically Important Distinguishing Features.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are widely prescribed to treat depression. Although these drugs presumably have the same mechanism of action, they vary in several clinically important ways, including how long they remain in the body and the extent to which they interfere with the metabolism of other medications. This article reviews the pharmacologic differences among SSRIs and how these differences may affect various aspects of treatment, such as dosing, administration, and discontinuation.

A program to convert patients from trade-name to generic clozapine.

In spring 2000, the Missouri Department of Mental Health mandated that its psychiatric inpatient facilities convert patients from trade-name to generic clozapine. The pharmacy department at our facility was encouraged to develop a conversion program to oversee and assess the efficacy and tolerability of the change. A protocol to monitor the conversion of patients to generic clozapine hospitalwide was developed.