[Therapeutic and cosmetic psychopharmacology. Risks and limits].
In this paper, I analyze risks and limits of the current psychopharmacology and how both are promoting a new social interpretation of health concept. Besides, I show how such interpretation can be detected in four issues related to safety, equality, psychiatrization of human condition, and autonomy. In the conclusions, I defend, first, the obligation of physician to inform patients about the important long-term uncertainties around psychopharmacology. Second, I justify the necessity of promote more prolonged monitoring of patients treated with such kind of drugs. Third, I insist in the relevance of increasing research about drugs ' adverse effects extended over a long time. And forth, I bring up the utility of health concept to avoid the subjective stigmatization of cognitive or affective traits, to prevent potential problems of inequality and coercion, and to keep from mental disorders caused by attempts of getting psychical states supposedly optimized.
Echarte Alonso
Luis E
LE
Departamento de Humanidades Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Navarra, 31009 Pamplona, Navarra. lecharte@unav.es
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000187:drug effects; D001294:Attitude to Health; D024803:Biomedical Enhancement / Q000941:ethics* / Q000379:methods; D002648:Child; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D009656:North America; D011600:Psychopharmacology / Q000145:classification / Q000941:ethics / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012016:Reference Values; D012306:Risk; D012928:Social Desirability; D013030:Spain; D019564:Unnecessary Procedures
D011619:Psychotropic Drugs