The era of pharmacovigilance and the need of pharmacovigilance in psychiatry: A review

According to WHO, Adverse drug reaction (ADR) is defined as “any response to a drug which is noxious and unintended, and which occurs at doses normally used in man for the prophylaxis, diagnosis, or therapy of disease, or for the modifications of physiological function”. Adverse drug reactions occur almost daily in every health care institution and can adversely affect a patient’s quality of life (QOL), often causing considerable morbidity and mortality. With the setting up of the Pharmacovigilance Program in India, it is important for all psychiatrists, pharmacist and nurses to familiarize themselves with the key principles of this science, and to apply the principle of Pharmacovigilance for the welfare of our patients and the entire health care community. Keywords: Adverse drug reaction (ADR), prophylaxis, diagnosis, patient’s quality of life (QOL)