Government of Western Australia Department of Health

Welcome to Government of Western Australia Department of Health

Western Australian Department of Health

The purpose of this webpage is to provide information about psychotropic medications to consumers and their carers and families who are receiving healthcare provided by the Health Services that are part of the WA Department of Health. Psychotropic medications refer to medications that are associated with the treatment of psychiatric conditions and other mental health problems.

The Department of Health is committed to improving the mental health of the WA population and recognises the importance of providing consumers with accessible, reliable and understandable information about their medication, empowering them to make informed choices about their healthcare.

In order to use medications safely and effectively, consumers and their carers and families need to know how to take medications correctly, what side effects to expect, how to monitor these effects, when to expect them, what to do if the medication doesn’t appear to be working and what to do if an adverse drug reaction is experienced. It is also important to understand medication treatment options and the benefits and potential risks of particular medications. The medication information leaflets seek to provide this information in a way that is easy to understand, and should be used as a tool to facilitate conversation with clinicians and/or treating teams when explaining choices.

In line with Stokes Review (2012) recommendations 2.5 and 7.10.14, written medication information must be provided to consumers in association with a comprehensive verbal explanation of the advantages and side effects associated with the psychotropic medication, as well as compliance and discontinuation issues. Please ensure that consumers and their carers and/families (if applicable), are given information when new medication is prescribed, along with a verbal explanation of medication treatment options, benefits and associated risks and side-effects. A summary of this conversation and the providing of medication information needs to be documented within the patient record.

To provide feedback about this site or about the medication information provided, please fill out the online survey provided in the subsequent webpages.

Feedback will be shared with the external organisation that produces the leaflet content, Choice and Medication, in order to facilitate the continuous improvement of the information provided. The Department of Health will also use the feedback provided to evaluate the utility of the medication information leaflets.

Government of Western Australia Department of Health
189 Royal Street, East Perth, Western Australia
www.health.wa.gov.au