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Will this tablet make me happy again? The contribution of relational prescribing in providing a pragmatic and psychodynamic framework for prescribers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 June 2022

Haroula Konstantinidou Open the ORCID record for Haroula Konstantinidou [Opens in a new window] ,
Dimitrios Chartonas ,
David Rogalski  and
Tennyson Lee Open the ORCID record for Tennyson Lee [Opens in a new window]
Haroula Konstantinidou*
Affiliation:
Consultant medical psychotherapist with Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust and lead clinician at Francis Dixon Lodge, a therapy service for people with personality disorder in Leicester, UK. She has integrated prescribing into an intense mentalisation-based therapy programme. Her research interests are in psychodynamic psychiatry, therapeutic communities and reflective practice.
Dimitrios Chartonas
Affiliation:
Consultant psychiatrist at the Camden and Islington Personality Disorder Service, Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. His teaching interest is in personality disorder and psychodynamic psychiatry. His research interest is in personality disorder, Balint and reflective practice groups, and transcultural psychiatry.
David Rogalski
Affiliation:
Senior mental health pharmacist and independent prescriber working for Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust in a single point of access assessment and advice service in inner-city London, UK.
Tennyson Lee
Affiliation:
Consultant in general adult psychiatry and medical psychotherapy with Dean Cross Personality Disorder Service, East London NHS Foundation Trust, UK. He is co-director of the Centre for Understanding of Personality (CUSP). He is an accredited transference-focused psychotherapy supervisor and mentalisation-based treatment practitioner and a candidate at the Institute of Psychoanalysis, London, UK.
*
Correspondence Haroula Konstantinidou. Email: haroula.konstantinidou1@nhs.net
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Summary

We describe the importance of relational factors in prescribing practices and discuss how they may influence treatment outcomes. Although relational factors play a part in every clinician–patient interaction, they are particularly relevant when managing patients with complex emotional needs. We discuss how relational prescribing can add value when incorporated into standard practice. We introduce psychodynamic theory principles, and we suggest a framework to facilitate reflection and support decision-making when clinicians are faced with complex prescribing decisions.

Keywords

Relationalprescribingtransferencecountertransferencepsychodynamic
Type
Article
Information
BJPsych Advances , Volume 29 , Issue 4 , July 2023 , pp. 265 - 273
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Royal College of Psychiatrists

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