• Anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications are widely prescribed, most often by non-psychiatric clinicians.  In and of itself that is not necessarily a bad thing, but ideally psychotropic drugs should be monitored by someone with a behavioral health background.
• Oftentimes non-psychiatric providers are making the decision to medicate based on a 10 minute consultation, which does not allow for sufficient information-gathering or exploration of alternatives. 
• One-size does not fit all, so to speak, and medication that is not carefully prescribed can do more harm than good, both in the present and long-term. A well-informed behavioral health professional understands the nuances of mental health conditions and psychotropic treatment and can contribute valuable information to the non-psychiatric prescriber. 
• Because of side effects, potential and actual, medication decisions should never be taken lightly and a thorough risk/benefit analysis requires time, information, and objectivity.  This is never more important than in pregnant and lactating women.
• The decision to discontinue treatment is almost as important as the decision to begin.  Too often people stop their medications without supervision and risk the consequences of a discontinuation syndrome or (preventable) relapse.
• Under-prescribing is as problematic as inappropriate or over-prescribing. It must be understood that untreated or under-treated illness is not benign!  Emotional well-being is critical to the health of individuals, their marriages, children, careers, etc. 

"There is no pill to mend a broken heart, fill empty lives or teach people to love each other."   
--Karl Menninger