Massachusetts Psychiatric Society ~ Psychiatry for the Primary Care Physician

As in most areas across the country, Massachusetts Primary Care Physicians are often the de facto providers of psychiatric care. Compared to the past, PCPs today are often responsible for diagnosing and treating patients with more serious, complicated, and chronic psychiatric disorders. We at the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society understand the clinical and professional challenges our PCP colleagues face in treating psychiatric disorders in our current clinical and social environment. As a result, we have designed this course to provide PCPs and other clinicians with lectures on salient topics of psychiatric diagnosis and treatment in Primary Care. The lectures, all from Massachusetts psychiatric experts, will offer practical updates of clinical knowledge and standards of care for common psychiatric conditions. There will be emphasis on straightforward, experienced-based guidance, including pragmatic “what to do and how to do it” advice and skills. The course will include lectures on the following topics encountered in Primary Care: Sleep Disorders, Cognitive Decline in the Elderly, Substance Use Disorders and Approaches to Managing Alcohol and Opioid Use, Anxiety and PTSD, Depression, Suicide Assessment and Treatment with Emphasis on Risk Management, and When/Why/How to Consult Psychiatry. There will be ample time allotted to each lecture for questions/ answers as well as a moderated panel session for general questions/answers to conclude the conference.

While presentations will focus on clinical issues relevant to Primary Care, MPS members are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Please visit the MPS website for more information, to view the program agenda, and to register.