Medication Selection and Ethical IssuesAssignment Instructions

This exercise will help you develop skills to communicate about psychopharmacology as applied to clinical cases. There are two parts to this assignment.

Before you begin, read the following linked Resources:

• APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. Link: https://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index
• Mock Form Letter. (outline is below)

From the Office of Chris Doe, PhD

720 Smith Rd., University, MN 55055 Phone: 555-555-1212 Fax: 555-555-1111

Psychotropic Medication Recommendation

Date: ________________________ To: PHYSICIAN NAME: ______________________________________ FAX: __________________________

CLIENT NAME: ______________________________________________ SSN: _________________________ CLIENT ADDRESS: ______________________________________ PHONE: ___________________________ PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATION RECOMMENDATIONS: Medication: ________________________________ Reason: ________________________________________ Medication: ________________________________ Reason: ________________________________________ Medication: ________________________________ Reason: ________________________________________ RECOMMENDED MEDICATION TO BEGIN: ______ Immediately _______ Next Visit Please note that it is my opinion these medications are necessary. I have taken a course on prescribing medications. If you have any questions or need any further information, please call me at 555-555-1212 or fax at 555- 555-1111.

OTHER COMMENTS:

Part 1:

• Identify the components of the form letter that you consider essential for referral.
  • Justify your response.
• Identify the elements of the letter that you suspectmay not be in compliance with the ethical guidelines.
  • Justify your response.

Part 2:

You have determined that a client has generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and believe that this person would benefit from one of the benzodiazepine drugs. Complete the following:

• Choose any of the benzodiazepine drugs (in this case use Lorazepam also unknown as Ativan)
• Create a profile for a hypothetical client who would benefit from this type of medication, based on its effect on neurotransmission and the hormonal system.
  • The profile should contain enough information about the client's GAD that you could perform a diagnosis to determine the disorder. You do not need to address any treatment issues; however, do include any significant demographic or background factors that may inform clinical decision making related to the medication choice.
• Write a brief letter to a primary care physician that explains your rationale for the use of this medication with this client. Assume the physician does not know youand include properly cited references to support your assertion so he or she is convinced to accept your referral.

Additional Requirements

• content plus title, abstract, and reference pages.
• Avoid stigmatizing language.