Psychopharmacology in medical practice--the benefits and the risks.

Psychopharmacology has become a major approach to treatment in primary medical care. However, combined psychiatric and medical illness can give rise to some challenging diagnostic problems. Furthermore, drug treatment of patients with such illnesses can involve important drug-disease interactions and drug-drug interactions. One should keep in mind the issues that arise when an emotionally troubled patient would benefit from a psychotropic drug but a concurrent medical illness complicates this treatment. An awareness of both the medical and psychiatric issues involved may make successful treatment possible.