Ensuring Safety in the Psychopharmacology of Bipolar Disorder

Medication can be a powerful tool, but it can also come with a whole new set of problems if the proper considerations are not met. At Psych Congress 2022, Psych Congress Network sat down with Steering Committee Member Julie Carbray, PhD, APRN, clinical professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, to talk about how clinicians can ensure patient safety and comfort when treating bipolar disorder with medication. 

Be sure to reserve your spot now for Psych Congress 2023 and join us in Nashville, Tennessee, next September! For more news and insights from this year's conference, visit the newsroom.

Julie A. Carbray, PhD, PMHNP-BC, PMHCNS-BC, APRN, is a clinical professor of psychiatry and nursing at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr Carbray holds her PhD (93) and Master of Science (88) degrees from Rush University, Chicago, and her Bachelor of Science (87) degree from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Dr Carbray was recognized by the UIC community in 2008 by receiving the Karen Gousman Excellence in Nursing Award and the American Psychiatric Nurses Association’s (APNA) Best Practices in Outpatient Mental Health Nursing Award. In 2012, Dr Carbray was awarded the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Inspire award for her long-standing commitment to UIC values and her inspiration of others in her work, and in 2016, Dr Carbray was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by APNA for her service to the profession of psychiatric nursing.

Read the Transcript:

Psychopharmacology of bipolar disorder can be tricky because there are several safety issues that we experience with our patients as they're navigating this arena of medication management. Issues around levels of medication. For instance, if they're taking lithium, really needing to work with them around safe hydration, around monitoring side effects, and around when they are taking their medications, if they're taking them with food, if they're not to take them with food, what types of windows of time will help them to get the best efficacy. Assuring that sedation is not a problem so that they can work so that they're not sleepy when they're driving. All the way to safety issues around increasing their blood glucose levels or managing higher levels of lipids within their body. Having a good balanced discussion about some of those safety concerns at the very beginning of medication management is really important for patients, as well as monitoring over time, across all of our psychopharmacologic agents.