Controversy of Sedative Medications to Control Behaviours

This article discusses the controversy surrounding the use of sedative medications to control behaviours and manage symptoms for people with mental health illness. It explores the challenges faced by registered nurses in administering psychotropic medication and provides insights into the side effects and risks associated with these medications.

The use of sedative
medications to control
behaviours is controversial
and has been described as
being highly coercive and
having significant effects

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
The controversy of the use of psychotropic medications to control behaviour and manage
symptoms for people who experience mental health illness.......................................................3
Challenging aspects for registered nurses who administer psychotropic medication to the
consumer who poses significant risk...........................................................................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Sedative medications can be defined as that drug which calms a patient’s agitation and
permits them sleep. These types of drugs basically work by modulating signals within the central
nervous system. Patients or individuals can become addictive of these types of drugs. If sedatives
are been miss-consumed with alcohol or any other harmful substance, they can dangerously
depress important signals which are most needed to maintain the heart and functions of lungs.
Present report will lay emphasis on the use of sedative medications to control behaviours which
is described as being highly coercive and have impact on person’s body and function. It will also
provide details related to the controversy of the use of psychotropic medications to control
behaviour and manage symptoms for people who experience mental health illness. Essay will
also provide details related to the challenges which is being faced by registered nurse who are
engaged in administrating the pyshocotropic medication
MAIN BODY
The controversy of the use of psychotropic medications to control behaviour and manage
symptoms for people who experience mental health illness
People with severe mental health illness have faced huge number of incidences that are
related to physical co-morbidities and it has been analyzed that these patients eventually die 10-
15 years earlier in comparison to general population. It has been analyzed that in order to
improve the health aspects of these services users, mental health nurses have a major role to play.
They improve physical health of patients suffering from severe mental illness (SMI) (Trawiński
& Skibiński, (2017). Registered nurses need to have positive attitude towards the patients so that
it can assist them in easily analyzing and interpreting the issues that has been faced by them. In
order to cure service users suffering from severe mental health illness certain type of
psychotropic drugs are been provided to them.
These sedative have major side effects, so it is really necessary for mental health nurses to
control behavior and manage symptoms for service users who experience SMI. The most
common and well documented side effects of sedative medications includes psychosis,
hallucinations, suicidal thoughts, lung infection, cardio-vascular problem, stroke, brain damage.
Some patients can even die because of the ill-effects of the psychotropic medications. It has been
analyzed that there are huge number of patients who have intellectual disabilities are provided
with psychotropic medications so that mental health nurses can manage their challenging

behavior. Many service users are treated with high doses for extended period of time with little
efficacy. There are various conditions under which psychotropic treatment is provided which
includes anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, sleep related problems and schizophrenia.
These are basically provided to cure patients suffering from all these major illness. But
when service users are engaged in taking the various types of anti-depressants there are various
controversies that can be faced by them like dizziness, nausea, vomiting, hypotension, slow
breathing (Alwan & Bérard, (2019). There are various precautions needs to be taken by mental
health nurses when providing service users with psychotropic medications. It has been analyzed
that they can provide suggestion to patients about no mixing the drugs with alcohol as this can
create a huge problem with balance, lowers down patients breathing process and they can also
even die if not given proper care. Registered nurses have the responsibility to make patients
aware about the all consequences related to sedatives.
They can also communicate and work with their family members so that acute care can be
provided. Education related to psychotropic drugs must be provided to service users and even to
family members, so that it becomes really easier for them to analyze the early signs and
symptoms if any problem occurs. It has been analyzed that anti-psychotic medication if been
provided to the older patients who are suffering from dementia can also increase the risk of death
in them. It can create suicidal tendencies and thoughts in them. It is really necessary for mental
health nurses must be engaged in communicating with the health care professionals when
providing the patients with these sedative medications.
This will support them in having a control over the controversies which can be faced by
consuming sedative medications by mental health patients (Telles-Correia and et.al., (2017).. It
has been analyzed that psychotropic medication such as Clozapline can laid severe impact on the
functioning of patients with intellectual disabilities. Like this medication can cause serious blood
disorder. It can reduce the white blood cell count making the patients weaker. Consuming these
types of medications can also cause seizures as well as cardio vascular problems. Mental health
nurses in this situation has a major role like they can engaged in educating patients and families
about all the side effects and controversies related to consumption of sedative. They can also
engaged in providing the service users with person-centered care so that the behavioral changes
that has been faced by the patients through consumption of ant-depressants can be kept under
control. This can assist them in improvising the health outcome of service users who is been

suffering from severe mental health illness. They can also engaged in developing the treatment
plan so that it supports them in preventing the controversial behavior and becomes easier for
them to manage all the symptoms and side effects which is been caused because of psychotropic
medications. Medicines like antidepressants can cause problem like depression, anxiety on
person with intellectual disabilities, so this also increases the risk related to injury to Central
nervous system.
There are various interventions which can be taken by mental health nurses in order to
prevent the risk related to injury. Like for example provide different comfort measures to the
client like positioning of legs and arms. They can also engage in providing all measures related
to safety in order to minimize the raising side rails. Effective planning and controlling measures
can be taken by registered nurses so that they can easily analyze the problems that are being
faced by the mental health patients. It has also been analyzed that the psychotropic drugs can
have severe side-effects when it is been consumed with drugs, food and alcohol. So before
making the patients consume sedatives, it is really necessary to communicate with health care
professionals about it. This will support registered nurses in reducing the controversies related to
consuming of psychotropic medications (Cussotto and et.al., (2019).
It will help them in improvising the health outcome of patients. It wills also assist
registered nurses in enhancing the quality of services which has been provided by them. It has
also been analyzed that sedative has a huge impact on the liver and kidney of the service users. It
can negatively affect the health outcome of service users. They can change face changes in
behavior and various other symptoms which can really become hectic task for mental health
nurses in managing it. In order to manage all these behavior changes and side effects mental
health nurses can also engaged in providing the service users with holistic care, this will support
them in understanding the needs of patients which can assist them for a well balanced life style.
It can support them in improvising their mental as well as physical health conditions.
Challenging aspects for registered nurses who administer psychotropic medication to the
consumer who poses significant risk
There are an increasing number of patients who are been suffering from mental health
problems, in order to cure it mental health registered nurses plays a major role. The management
of patients with mental disorder is a really hectic task which needs to be done really prominently
so that the health outcome of the patients is been improved. It has been analysed that there are

various challenges which is been faced by mental health nurses in managing the behavioural
changes related to mental health patients. The changes in behaviour can be side effects of
psychotropic medications which have been taken by them. In order to improve the health aspect
of mental health patients nurses needs to make use of various recovery oriented approaches like
for example they can face challenges like risk related to injury and the injury can be cause to
central nervous system. This can be because of the side effects of psychotropic medications
which cause changes in behaviour.
So registered nurses can be engaged in providing safety measures like raising side rails and
providing service users with adequate lighting. This can assist them in having a control over the
behaviour changes of the service users (Procyshyn and et.al., (2019). Also in order to manage the
other side effects like sleep deprivation, nausea, vomiting, the nurses can be really face challenge
in making aware about these problems which is being faced by patients suffering from mental
health disorders. Providing education to the client and their family members related to the side
effects of sedative drugs for better understanding and cooperation. This will assist nurses in
overcoming the further challenges which can occur because of the psychotropic medications.
There other challenges which can be faced by registered nurses in providing care to mental
health patients consuming sedatives like these service users can face impaired urinary
elimination that is one of the most common and major side effect of sedatives. In order to
overcome this challenge registered nurse can make use of interventions like they can keep input
and output chart of service users with them (Jobski and et.al., (2017).. Mental health nurses can
also involved in keeping pace with drugs as per the prescription provided by health care
professionals. This can assist the registered nurse in overcoming the challenges and also support
them in improvising the health outcome of service users.
Service users are engaged in taking the various types of anti-depressants there are various
controversies that can be faced by them like dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and hypotension, slow
breathing. So managing all these signs and symptoms can be challenging for registered nurses.
They need to make sure that all the ant-depressant or psychotropic medicines taken by mental
health patients, they do not mix with alcohol or other type of drink as this can be really
dangerous and can lay negative impact on the health outcome of patients. It has also been
analyzed that other challenge which is being faced by mental health nurse during treating
patients can include risk related to activity intolerance. In order to cure these registered nurses

can be engaged in making the use of interventions such as minimizing the excess exhaustion of
service users and asking them to take complete rest. They can also support service users in
performing minor activities, if they want to do any. Registered nurses also need to be engaged in
educating service users and their family members to not make use of any kind of dangerous
equipment.
This recovery oriented approaches can support them in enhancing the health outcome of
service users suffering from mental health problem. Registered nurses can also face other
challenges like impaired physical activity related to the extra pyramidal effect. There are various
interventions which can be taken by them in order to recover from this problem,. The example
registered nurses can be engaged in providing the safe environment to patients so that the
harmful objects in the environment can be removed. They can also report to health care
professional about the excess tremors. All these challenges must be analyzed and interoperated
effectively by registered nurses in order to improve health outcome of patients.
CONCLUSION
From the above study, it has been summarized that there are various side effects which has
been cause by psychotropic medicines. They cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting, brain
damage, kidney failure, liver damage. It can lay severe impact on the health outcome of services
users. It has also been analyzed that in order to manage these side effects there are various
challenges which has been faced by registered nurses. They have been engaged in making use
various recovery based interventions in order to overcome the challenges.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Procyshyn, R. M., Bezchlibnyk-Butler, K. Z., & Jeffries, J. J. (Eds.). (2019). Clinical handbook
of psychotropic drugs. Hogrefe Verlag.
Cussotto, S., Strain, C. R., Fouhy, F., Strain, R. G., Peterson, V. L., Clarke, G., ... & Cryan, J. F.
(2019). Differential effects of psychotropic drugs on microbiome composition and
gastrointestinal function. Psychopharmacology, 236(5), 1671-1685.
Telles-Correia, D., Barbosa, A., Cortez-Pinto, H., Campos, C., Rocha, N. B., & Machado, S.
(2017). Psychotropic drugs and liver disease: a critical review of pharmacokinetics and
liver toxicity. World journal of gastrointestinal pharmacology and therapeutics, 8(1), 26.
Jobski, K., Höfer, J., Hoffmann, F., & Bachmann, C. (2017). Use of psychotropic drugs in
patients with autism spectrum disorders: a systematic review. Acta Psychiatrica
Scandinavica, 135(1), 8-28.
Alwan, S., & Bérard, A. (2019). Epidemiology of the Use of Psychotropic Drugs in Pregnant and
Nursing Women. In Perinatal Psychopharmacology (pp. 3-16). Springer, Cham.
Trawiński, J., & Skibiński, R. (2017). Studies on photodegradation process of psychotropic
drugs: a review. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 24(2), 1152-1199.

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