Psychopharmacology, 2021 A Master Class

This extraordinary two-day interactive live stream class is designed for the experienced clinician. Presentations will focus on the typical psychiatric patient who presents for treatment with particular emphasis on difficult-to-treat patients. Course participants will be expected to have had clinical experience, familiarity with the neurobiological and genetic contributions to psychiatric illnesses as well as an understanding of the basic therapeutic mechanisms of psychotropic medications. There will be considerable opportunity for interaction with the presenters.

This class will focus on the following topics: An updated review of neurobiology and brain function will be presented, taking the attendee through neurotransmission sequence from the central role of neurotransmitter circuits, transmitters and receptors, synaptic function and gene transcription. The interaction between genes and the environment will be emphasized. This will be followed by studying of the interface between neurology and psychiatry. The drug treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder will be presented with a focus on prodromal symptoms and first episode patients. New antipsychotic medications and treatment augmentation will be reviewed along with potential new uses for mood stabilizers. The neurobiologic mechanisms of depression with a discussion of both the genetic and epigenetic contribution will be highlighted. Modern use of antidepressants will be based on the latest and clinical findings. Special consideration will be given to Ketamine, ECT, TMS and augmentation strategies in treatment resistant depression. Treatment of Bipolar Depression will be emphasized. There will also be a presentation and focus on the diagnosis and treatment of attention deficit disorder with an emphasis on the use of stimulants in their treatment of adults with this disorder as well as the use of stimulants in the treatment of eating disorders and enhancement of antidepressant treatment. An entire lecture will be devoted to the interface of medicine and psychiatric disorders with special attention to cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Anxiety and anxiety-spectrum disorders as well as their pharmacological treatment will be presented, including panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. New concepts and treatments of obsessive compulsive disorder will be reviewed as well as the pharmacological treatment of borderline personality disorder. The importance of the evaluation and psychopharmacological treatment of women’s mental health issues will be addressed with particular emphasis on PMS, perinatal, and postpartum disorders and treatment resistant PTSD. The course will also include a review of the role of psychopharmacology in the treatment of sleep disorders. Advances in the neurobiology and treatment of alcohol and substance abuse disorders will also be highlighted. The latest advances in child, adolescent and geriatric psychopharmacology will be emphasized. Throughout the course the establishment and importance of the therapeutic alliance when prescribing all psychotropic medications will be underscored, as will the potential hazards/benefits of polypharmacy drug interactions.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

Evaluate the effects of neurotransmitters and genes on psychotropic drug treatment;
Study the Interface between neurology and psychiatry;
Describe the pharmacologic treatment of schizophrenia with particular reference to the prodromal period and first episode;
Outline the emerging theories and treatments of bipolar disorder, depression, treatment resistant depression, bipolar depression, stress and anxiety disorder;
Discuss the role of psychotropic medications in women’s mental health with an emphasis on PMS, pregnancy, nursing, and the postpartum period;
Review the appropriate use of medications in the treatment of sleep disorders;
Access psychopharmacologic treatment of eating disorders;
Summarize the interface between medicine and psychiatric disorders with an emphasis on cardiovascular disease and cancer;
Review the appropriate use of stimulants in the treatment of attention and ADHD disorders as well as their use as an adjunct to antidepressant treatment;
Identify psychopharmacologic treatment for the borderline personality disorder;
Explain the role of psychopharmacology in the treatment of substance use disorders with particular emphasis on alcohol, opiates, and cannabis;
Recognize when to utilize ECT and TMS for the treatment of depression;
Discuss standard psychopharmacologic treatments that have now been proven to be ineffective;
Give examples of the latest advances and problems associated with treatment approaches in the child, adolescent and geriatric populations.

Target Audience

Experienced clinicians in the field of psychopharmacology drawn from the following disciplines: psychiatry, medicine, nursing, nurse practitioners, and psychology.

Course Directors

Carl Salzman, MD
Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Lawrence E. Lifson, MD
Lecturer on Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Director, Continuing Education Program, Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Offered By: BILH2_