Clinical Psychopharmacology

The development of medicines that effectively treat psychiatric illnesses transformed psychiatry in the 1950s and beyond. Increasingly, researchers have worked to better understand how these therapies work, to refine their actions and minimise unwanted side effects.

Clinical psychopharmacology aims to understand how these psychotropic drugs work from a molecular level, through to clinical research in patients. To treat mental disorders, an extensive understanding of basic neuroscience, basic psychopharmacology, clinical medicine, the differential diagnosis of mental disorders, and treatment options is required.

Psychopharmacologists must be skilled in building and utilising a therapeutic alliance with the patient, and working in conjunction with psychologists and other allied health professionals in multidisciplinary clinical teams in the service of best outcomes for their patients. Today, up to one-third of the population is affected by an anxiety disorder during their lifetime.