The family of a patient on Prozac should familiarize itself with the nature of the depression and be particularly on guard if mere is a past, present, or family history of suicide ideation, negative reactions to specific antidepressants, or mania exists. Probably the most important step they can take is to understand that depression is a psychobiologic illness. The patient is not responsible for the depression and cannot simply “buck up”.
Furthermore, the family should consult with the doctor and read as much material as possible in order to understand the purpose, effects and side effects of Prozac and other psychopharmacologic agents. This is especially true when the patient is a young adolescent or an elderly person who is dependent on the family for keeping regular appointments with the psychopharmacologist and sometimes with a second therapist, whom I also recommend for about a third of my depressed patients on antidepressants. The family members need to understand that these repeated visits serve an important monitoring function of me patient’s clinical state, side effects, and general blood chemistries.
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