Any medication has side effects. While psychiatric medication helps a lot of people maintain a regular life, it can also have strong side effects that make them sound, look or act differently. In addition, side effects are frequently misinterpreted: slurred speech can be put down to alcoholism, shaking and sweating to some kind of addiction, frequent visits to the loo or stops to get drinks might indicate someone slacking off, especially if they can’t stop yawning and lack concentration.
What to do
As lay people, we don’t need to know about what drugs cause what side effects. We do need to be aware that our potential volunteers may be very conscious of their particular responses to their medication and often concerned about their appearance or behaviour to others as a result. Be alert to the potential for misunderstanding and be prepared to be flexible in approaching tasks that require specific skills like additional concentration or particular manual skills. There is no reason why anyone on medication should be excluded from volunteering.
