This Month in Psychopharmacology

Featured Encore Presentations from NEI Congress

The NEI Psychopharmacology Congress, held annually every Fall, is a four-day conference that brings mental health clinicians together to learn about the latest research, new treatment advances, and updated clinical care guidelines, with emphasis on how to translate these developments into clinical practice. The 2018 NEI Congress, held November 8–11 in Orlando, FL, featured presentations from the top influential leaders in psychiatry and neuroscience covering the full spectrum of mental health diagnosis, management, and treatment. If you missed the 2018 NEI Congress, don’t fret. The following Recorded presentations are now available online!


In this featured encore presentation, Dr. Marlene Freeman describes the potential risks associated with peripartum mental illness as well as the evidence base for the risks vs. benefits of treatment options. Despite the high prevalence and potential consequences of mood disorders during pregnancy, recent data indicate that pregnant women are less likely to be appropriately diagnosed and receive psychiatric care compared to non-pregnant women. The accurate diagnosis and timely treatment of peripartum mood disorders is essential, yet requires consideration of both the mother's and the offspring's health.
Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is an ongoing concern for patients treated with antipsychotics. Discontinuation of antipsychotic treatment may offer the best chance of TD remission; however, alternative strategies of TD management must be employed in patients who require continued antipsychotic therapy. In this featured encore presentation, Dr. Laxman Bahroo discusses the best practices and guidelines for treating patients with TD including, the latest research on the pathophysiology of TD, how to implement individualized treatment options depending on the patient population, including strategies of TD management in patients who require continued antipsychotic therapy, and the new guidelines and treatment options for managing TD.
Schizophrenia is a chronic and debilitating disease, and is often difficult to treat. Some of the most common obstacles to treatment are issues with adherence, effectiveness, and unwanted side effects. However, new developments in schizophrenia research and treatments may impact clinical practice. In this Congress encore presentation, Dr. Jonathan Meyer discusses, novel agents in development or recently FDA approved that may aid in many of these challenges.

While the majority of treatment options have focused on treating positive symptoms in schizophrenia, in order to strive for optimal functional outcomes, negative symptoms, and related cognitive deficits must be addressed. Another featured encore, presented by Dr. Jonathan Meyer, discussed the current findings on evidence-based effective treatment strategies to manage negative and cognitive symptoms, adverse side effects, and the importance of monitoring plasma levels for optimal treatment results.

Another hot topic discussed at Congress was the growing evidence that inflammation and metabolic factors such as adiposity may play important roles in the pathophysiology of mental illnesses. The potential role of inflammation and metabolic factors is not surprising given the interplay these systems have with each other and with multiple other systems relevant to depression. Many of the treatments used for depression, either as monotherapies or as adjunct medications, can have side effects that include metabolic effects. Psychiatric and the medical disorders should be considered when selecting treatment, so that treatment not only can avoid harm but can also potentially be selected to suit the specific comorbid population. In this featured encore presentation, Dr. Roger McIntyre discusses how to select treatment strategies that take medical factors into consideration.
Our understanding of the neurobiology of depression has increased in recent years, there is recognition that the neurobiological substrates of depression may go beyond monoaminergic circuits. Currently available treatments for MDD target the monoaminergic system, often blocking reuptake of one or two monoamines. In this encore presentation, Dr. Stephen Stahl provides an update on novel antidepressant treatments that are recently available or in development, including the mechanisms of action that are thought to underlie their potential antidepressant effects.
View the available collection of 2018 NEI Congress Encore Presentations

We look forward to seeing all of you at the 2019 NEI Congress in Colorado Springs, Colorado!