Adverse Effects of Psychotropic Medications: A Call to Action.

Adverse effects are common, bothersome, and a leading cause of discontinuation of treatment. The methodology for evaluating adverse effects of medications has been greatly neglected, however, especially in comparison to the methodology for assessment of efficacy of medications. Existing methods for assessment and reporting of adverse effects have important limitations leading to lack of much-needed data related to adverse effects. Lastly, there is little systematic research into management of most adverse effects. A series of recommendations are made in this article about how to improve identification, assessment, reporting, and management of adverse effects.