CMEs 2021: A Year in Review
Psychiatric Times featured a wide variety of psychiatric issues in this year’s CMEs.
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Throughout 2021, Psychiatric TimesTM worked with experts from multiple areas in psychiatry to bring you discussions of important topics, such as identifying and treating victims of human trafficking; diagnosing and managing fibromyalgia; and ethically evaluating dangerousness in individuals with personality disorders. Here are some highlights from our selection of this year’s Continuing Medication Education (CME) articles:
Psychiatric TimesTM March 2021
Psilocybin Revisited: The Science Behind the Drug and Its Surprising Therapeutic Potential
Psilocybin and psilocin are the main psychedelic agents of the psychoactive mushroom genus Psilocybe.1 Historical and cultural use of these psychoactive mushrooms dates back 3000 years in Mexico and the Southwestern regional areas of the present-day United States. Scientifically, psilocybin was isolated and identified in 1958, synthesized in 1959, and used in various experimental research studies in the early 1960s. During that time, psilocybin and other psychedelic agents such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) generated considerable controversy. Outside of recreational use, could they be used safely as therapeutic interventions? Continue Reading
Psychiatric TimesTM August 2021
Fibromyalgia: What It Is and How to Treat It
Fibromyalgia (FM) is one of the most controversial diagnoses in the field of pain management. Some experts believe that it does not exist and actually represents an accidental or purposeful misdiagnosis of other conditions, while others believe that it is badly underdiagnosed.1 The truth likely falls somewhere between these 2 extremes. FM is a real syndrome, but it is also perhaps overdiagnosed, both because many physicians are unaware of the actual diagnostic criteria, and because there may be a desire to avoid diagnosing patients with other conditions that could explain the symptoms of FM—most notably mental disorders. Continue Reading
Psychiatric TimesTM September 2021
Psychiatric Evaluation of the Peripartum Patient
The peripartum period is not necessarily a time of emotional well-being,1,2 highlighted by the fact that about 1 in 13 women develop new-onset major depressive disorder (MDD) while pregnant.3 (The term “peripartum” in this article refers to pregnant women and women who are up to 1 year postpartum.) In the postpartum period, 1 in 7 women will develop MDD and are at high risk for psychiatric hospitalization.4,5 Thus, comprehensive psychiatric evaluation of the peripartum patient is an essential skill. The mainstay of assessment remains the clinical interview; as such, careful and systematic psychiatric evaluation during these periods is crucial for diagnosis, risk assessment, and treatment. The general psychiatric evaluation, however, must be expanded and tailored to the needs of the peripartum patient. Continue Reading
Psychiatric TimesTM December 2021
Psychiatrists’ Response to Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is a public health issue that involves exploiting individuals for forced sex or labor. Traffickers perpetuate the cycle of exploitation by utilizing methods such as emotional, economic, or physical abuse; isolation; and threats. Physical, mental, legal, and social sequelae of human trafficking can persist for years after individuals survive their trafficking situations. Individuals with a preexisting history of psychiatric illnesses, including substance use disorders, are especially vulnerable to being trafficked. Continue Reading
Here is a full list of our CMEs from 2021:
January: Microglial Involvement With Psychiatric Diseases
February: Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis and Opportunities in Managing Treatment-Resistant Depression and Tardive Dyskinesia
March: Psilocybin Revisited: The Science Behind the Drug and Its Surprising Therapeutic Potential
April: Psychological and Cognitive Insight: How to Tell Them Apart and Assess for Each
May: Different Strokes: How to Spot and Treat Poststroke Depression
June: Transgenerational Transmission of Resilience After Catastrophic Trauma
July: Prognostic Considerations in Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalopathy With Psychiatric Manifestations
August: Fibromyalgia: What It Is and How to Treat It
September: Psychiatric Evaluation of the Peripartum Patient
October: Personality Disorder and Dangerousness
December: Psychiatrists’ Response to Human Trafficking
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Do you have a comment on any of these or other articles? Have a good idea for an article and want to write? Interested in sharing your perspectives? Write to us at PTeditor@mmhgroup.com.
