Psychopharmacological factors associated with cognitive changes and their implications for clinical psychological assessment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31558/2786-8745.2026.2(9).8Keywords:
psychopharmacology, cognitive functioning, antidepressants, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, anticholinergic burden, neuropsychological assessment, clinical psychological interpretationAbstract
This article reviews evidence on the cognitive effects of psychopharmacotherapy and examines how to take these effects into account in clinical psychological assessment. The narrative review covers 19 publications from 2007-2026 on antidepressants, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, anticholinergic burden, and neuropsychological assessment, selected for their relevance to the review aim. Findings are compared with regard to study populations, outcome measures, and certainty of evidence. Assessment of cognitive change requires separate consideration of test performance, subjective complaints, and everyday functioning. The article describes how to assess the reliability of measured changes, clarify treatment circumstances, and consider possible causes of deterioration. Hypothetical clinical examples illustrate how to apply these recommendations when interpreting assessment findings. The effects of these recommendations on the accuracy of clinicians’ conclusions and agreement between clinicians require empirical evaluation.
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