This article presents an overview of ethical issues surrounding psychopharmacology as it applies to the field of couple and family counseling. The authors ground their discussion of these issues in the ethical codes of the American Counseling Association and the International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors. Case studies illustrate the ethical issues that couple and family counselors may face when working with clients who have been prescribed psychotropic medications.
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2001). Clinical practice guidelines: Treatment of the school-aged child with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Pediatrics, 108, 1033-1044.
2.
American Counseling Association. (2005). ACA code of ethics. Alexandria, VA: Author.
3.
Aschenbrenner, D. S. (2005). Atypical antipsychotics: A warning [Abstract]. American Journal of Nursing, 105, 25-28.
4.
Beitman, B. D., & Saveanu, R. V. (2005). Integrating pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. In J. E. Norcross (Ed.), Handbook of psychotherapy integration (2nd ed., pp. 417-436). New York: Oxford University Press.
5.
Blanco, C. (2005). Evidence-based pharmacotherapy of social anxiety disorder. CNS Spectrums, 10, 10-11.
6.
Bovasso, G. B., Eaton, W. W., & Armenian, H. K. (1999). The long-term outcomes of mental health treatment in a population-based study. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67, 529-538.
7.
Breggin, P. R. (1991). Toxic psychiatry. New York: St. Martin’s.
8.
Breggin, P. R., & Cohen, D. (1999). Your drug may be your problem: How and why to stop taking psychiatric medications. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo.
9.
Campbell, D., Draper, R., & Crutchley, E. (1991). The Milan systemic approach to family therapy. In A. S. Gurman & D. P. Kniskern (Eds.), Handbook of family therapy: Vol. II (pp. 325-362). New York: Brunner/Mazel.
10.
Canadian Psychiatric Association. (2005). Pharmacotherapy. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 50, 19-28.
11.
Chavira, D. A., & Stein, M. B. (2002). Combined psychoeducation and treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for youth with generalized social anxiety disorder. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 12, 47-54.
12.
Chouinard, G. (2004). Issues in the clinical use of benzodiazepines: Potency, withdrawal, and rebound [Abstract]. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 65, 7-21.
13.
Crews, J. A., & Hill, N. R. (2005). Diagnosis in marriage and family counseling: An ethical double bind. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 13, 63-66.
14.
Dorman, D. (2003). Dante’s cure: A journey out of madness. New York: Other Press.
15.
Finn, R. (2001). Benzodiazepines steal patient memory of CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy). Clinical Psychiatry News, 29, 11-11.
16.
Glasser, W. (2003). Warning: Psychiatry can be hazardous to your mental health. New York: Quill.
17.
Glenmullen, J. (2000). Prozac backlash: Overcoming the dangers of Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, and other antidepressants with safe, effective alternatives. New York: Simon & Schuster.
18.
Glenmullen, J. (2005). The antidepressant solution: A step-by-step guide to safely overcoming antidepressant withdrawal, dependence, and “addiction.”New York: Free Press.
19.
Graybar, S. R., & Leonard, L. M. (2005). In defense of listening. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 59, 1-18.
20.
Guttman, H. A. (1991). Systems theory, cybernetics, and epistemology. In A. S. Gurman & D. P. Kniskern (Eds.), Handbook of family therapy: Vol. II (pp. 41-61). New York: Brunner/Mazel.
21.
Hansen, J. T. (2005). The devaluation of inner subjective experiences by the counseling profession: A plea to reclaim the essence of the profession. Journal of Counseling and Development, 83, 406-415.
22.
Healy, D. (2002). The creation of psychopharmacology. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
23.
Hill, N. R., & Crews, J. A. (2005). The application of an ethical lens to the issue of diagnosis in marriage and family counseling. The Family Journal, 13, 176-180.
24.
Hollon, S. D., Jarrett, R. B., Nierenberg, A. A., Thase, M. E., Trivedi, M., & Rush, A. J. (2005). Psychotherapy and medication in the treatment of adult and geriatric depression: Which monotherapy or combined treatment?Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 66, 455-468.
25.
Hollon, S. D., Thase, M. E., & Markowitz, J. C. (2002). Treatment and prevention of depression. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 3, 39-77.
26.
Ingersoll, R. E. (2000). Teaching a psychopharmacology course to counselors: Justification, structure, and methods. Counselor Education & Supervision, 40, 58-69.
27.
International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors (IAMFC). (2005). Ethical code of the International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors (IAMFC). Retrieved January 31, 2006, from http://www.iamfc.com/ethical_codes.html
28.
Jackson, G. (2005). Rethinking psychiatric drugs: A guide for informed consent. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse.
29.
Keefe, R. S. E., Silva, S. G., Perkins, D. O., & Lieberman, J. A. (1999). The effects of atypical antipsychotic drugs on neurocognitive impairment in schizophrenia: A review and meta-analysis. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 25, 201-222.
30.
King, J. H., & Anderson, S. M. (2004). Therapeutic implications of pharmacotherapy: Current trends and ethical issues. Journal of Counseling and Development, 82, 329-336.
31.
Kirsch, I., Moore, T. J., Scoboria, A., & Nicholls, S. S. (2002). The emperor’s new drugs: An analysis of antidepressant medication data submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Prevention & Treatment, 23. Retrieved December 5, 2005, from http://www.journals.apa.org/prevention/volume5/pre0050023a.html
32.
Liburd, R., & Rothblum, E. (1995). The medical model. In E. J. Rave & C. C. Larson’s (Eds.), Ethical decision making in therapy: Feminist perspectives (pp. 177-201). New York: Guilford.
33.
Lin, P., Campbell, D. G., Chaney, E. F., Liu, C. F., Heagerty, P., & Hedrick, S. (2005). The influence of patient preference on depression treatment in primary care. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 30, 164-173.
34.
Lutova, N. B. (2002). Specific interrelationship of combined psychopharmacotherapy and psychotherapy in the treatment of mentally ill patients. International Journal of Mental Health, 31, 98-106.
35.
Moncrieff, J., & Kirsch, I. (2005). Efficacy of antidepressants in adults. British Medical Journal, 331, 155-157.
36.
Murray, T. L. (in press). The other side of psychopharmacology: A review of the literature. Journal of Mental Health Counseling.
37.
Paradise, L. V., & Kirby, P. C. (2005). The treatment and prevention of depression: Implications for counseling and counselor training. Journal of Counseling and Development, 83, 116-119.
38.
Preston, J. D., O’Neal, J. H., & Talago, M. C. (2000). Handbook of clinical psychopharmacology for therapists. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.
39.
Prosky, P. S., & Keith, D. V. (Eds.). (2003). Family therapy as an alternative to medication: An appraisal of Pharmland. New York: Brunner-Routledge.
40.
Roberto, L. G. (1991). Symbolic-experiential family therapy. In A. S. Gurman & D. P. Kniskern (Eds.), Handbook of family therapy: Vol. II (pp. 444-476). New York: Brunner/Mazel.
41.
Safer, D. J. (2002). Design and reporting modifications in industry-sponsored comparative psychopharmacology trials. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disorders, 190, 583-592.
42.
Schwartz, R. A. (2005). How safe is long-term benzodiazepine pharmacotherapy?Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 25, 624-625.
43.
Scovel, K. A., Christensen, O. J., & England, J. T. (2002). Mental health counselors’ perceptions regarding psychopharmacological prescriptive rights. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 24, 36-50.
44.
Shattell, M., & Keltner, N. L. (2004). The case for atypical antipsychotics in bipolar disorder. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 40, 34-38.
45.
Steiner, M., Pearlstein, T., Cohen, L., Endicott, J., Kornstein, S., Roberts, C., et al. (2006). Expert guidelines for the treatment of severe PMS, PMDD, and comorbidities: The role of SSRIs. Journal of Women’s Health, 15, 57-69.
46.
Taylor, M. J., Rudkin, L., & Hawton, K. (2005). Strategies for managing antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction: Systematic review of randomized control trials. Journal of Affective Disorders, 88, 241-254.
47.
Tremblay, P., & Blier, P. (2006). Catecholaminergic strategies for the treatment of major depression. Current Drug Targets, 7, 149-158.
48.
Trestman, R. L. (2004). Optimism grows for combined treatment of severe personality disorder. Psychiatric Times, 21, 35-40.
49.
Van Ameringen, M., Mancini, C., Patterson, B., & Bennett, M. (2006). Topiramate augmentation in treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder: A retrospective, open-label case series. Depression & Anxiety, 23, 1-5.
50.
Winston, A., Been, H., & Serby, M. (2005). Psychotherapy and psychopharmacology: Different universes or an integrated future. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 15, 213-223.
