The antidote to acetaminophen overdose is N-acetylcysteine (NAC). It is most effective when given within 8 hours of ingesting acetaminophen. Indeed, NAC can prevent liver failure if given early enough. For this reason, it is absolutely necessary that poisoning be recognized, diagnosed, and treated as early as possible.
1 Individuals with a mental illness are much less likely to be employed. 2  25 Unemployment rates are as high as 70% to 90% for people with the most severe mental illnesses. 3  26. 4  In any given week, at least 500,000 employed Canadians are unable to work due to mental health problems. People with a mental illness are twice as likely to have a substance use problem compared to the general population. 2  At least 20% of people with a mental illness have a co-occurring substance use problem. 3  4 For people with schizophrenia, the number may be as high as 50%. 4  5.
Most studies suggest that for major mental health disorders, a treatment approach involving both drugs and psychotherapy is more effective than either treatment method used alone. Psychiatrists are not the only mental health care practitioners trained to treat mental illness. Others include clinical psychologists, advanced practice nurses, and social workers. However, psychiatrists (and psychiatric nurse practitioners in some states) are the only mental health care practitioners licensed to prescribe drugs. Other mental health care practitioners practice psychotherapy primarily. Many primary care doctors and other types of doctors also prescribe drugs to treat mental health disorders.