2026 NEI Fall Congress Agenda

Overview: Long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs) are often reserved for later stages of serious mental illness, despite evidence that early relapse prevention may help preserve functioning and reduce downstream clinical and psychosocial burden. In this presentation, Dr. Christoph U. Correll will examine why “time is brain” in early-course psychosis, including how duration of untreated psychosis, recurrent relapse, and oral antipsychotic nonadherence can shape long-term outcomes. He will discuss strategies for introducing LAIs early through shared decision-making, addressing patient and family concerns, comparing available LAI formulations using practical clinical considerations, and building team-based workflows to support initiation, monitoring, missed-dose management, and sustained engagement.

Overview: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is common, impairing, and often difficult to distinguish from depression, rumination, everyday stress, or overlapping psychiatric presentations. In this presentation, Dr. Jeffrey R. Strawn will examine how neurobiology, diagnostic clarity, and treatment evidence can improve recognition and management of GAD. He will discuss practical strategies for differentiating GAD from related conditions, optimizing first-line treatment, addressing partial or treatment-resistant response, and evaluating emerging therapeutic approaches with an evidence-based lens.

Overview: Depression is a syndrome with diverse underlying causes, and distinguishing major depressive disorder from bipolar spectrum disorders remains a critical clinical challenge. In this presentation, Jonathan Meyer, MD, reviews practical strategies for recognizing depressive mixed states, identifying diagnostic clues, and avoiding the consequences of misdiagnosis. Participants will examine evidence-based pharmacologic approaches across the mood disorder spectrum and learn how psychoeducation, collaborative care, and thoughtful long-term management can improve diagnostic accuracy and patient outcomes.

Overview: Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a potentially irreversible movement disorder that can be easy to miss, yet profoundly affects patients’ physical functioning, emotional well-being, social relationships, work life, and caregiver support needs. In this presentation, Dr. Hara E. Oyedeji will examine the hidden burden of TD and the importance of early recognition among patients exposed to dopamine receptor blocking agents. She will discuss risk factors, common clinical presentations, practical use of assessment tools such as AIMS, strategies for telehealth and in-person monitoring, and the role of interdisciplinary collaboration in improving detection, documentation, and patient-centered care.

Overview: Accurate use of the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) is essential for identifying and monitoring tardive dyskinesia (TD), particularly when abnormal movements are subtle or appear only during activation maneuvers. In this presentation, Dr. Hara E. Oyedeji and Dr. Leslie Citrome will demonstrate practical AIMS administration and scoring strategies to support earlier recognition of TD. They will review AIMS as the standard observer-rated assessment tool, clarify how to score activated movements, discuss interpretation of severity and patient impact, and emphasize collaboration across the healthcare team to improve detection, documentation, and follow-up care.

Overview: Tardive dyskinesia (TD) remains a clinically significant and often persistent movement disorder associated with long-term exposure to dopamine receptor blocking agents. In this presentation, Dr. Leslie Citrome will examine the neurobiological rationale for TD treatment and the evidence supporting current therapeutic strategies, with a focus on VMAT2 inhibitors. He will compare the efficacy, safety, tolerability, dosing, titration, and drug-interaction considerations for FDA-approved treatments such as valbenazine and deutetrabenazine. The presentation will also address practical real-world management, including differentiating TD from drug-induced parkinsonism, using AIMS for measurement-based care, minimizing inappropriate anticholinergic use, and applying patient-centered strategies to reduce functional burden while maintaining psychiatric stability.

Overview: Although available treatments can reduce core ADHD symptoms, many patients continue to experience executive dysfunction, emotional dysregulation, and associated functional impairment. In this presentation, Drs. Jeffrey Strawn and Andrew Cutler will connect these residual symptoms to their neurobiological underpinnings and evaluate the strengths and limitations of current treatment approaches. They will provide practical strategies for reassessing partial response, optimizing treatment, and individualizing care using established and newly available therapeutic options.

Overview: In this presentation. Dr. Jonathan Meyer will discuss those agents that have outlived their usefulness, and the reasons why, while emphasizing new insights for those two irreplaceable medications, clozapine and lithium.