Depression and Suicide

Course #66404 -

Overview

Depression is a common, debilitating mood disorder. Depression is highly prevalent in medically ill populations, and many persons with depression are either unaware they need professional help or are reluctant to seek it. Although contact with the primary care setting represents a potential opportunity for timely identification and intervention, abundant evidence indicates that many patients with depression are inadequately diagnosed by nonpsychiatrist physicians, with one study showing inadequate assessment and diagnosis even after training. In addition to depression being underdiagnosed in the primary care setting, even when a valid diagnosis is made, treatment is often inconsistent with current practice guidelines. Provider competence and confidence related to the diagnosis and treatment of depression is one factor; other factors that influence patient outcomes have been identified. One of these factors is treatment adherence, and studies have shown that treatment adherence can be positively influenced by the degree of treatment preference for the prescribed treatment modality and by the process of shared decision-making between physician and patient. These widespread shortcomings in the proper diagnosis, treatment, and implementation of treatment adherence strategies among primary care physicians and other primary care professionals represent an ideal educational target.

Education Category: Psychiatric / Mental Health
Release Date: 08/01/2023
Expiration Date: 07/31/2026

Table of Contents

Audience

This intermediate course is designed for psychologists in any setting who may identify and treat patients who are depressed and/or suicidal.

Accreditations & Approvals

Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.

Designations of Credit

NetCE designates this continuing education activity for 15 credit(s).

Course Objective

Although contact with the primary care setting represents a potential opportunity for timely identification and intervention, abundant evidence indicates that many patients with depression are inadequately diagnosed and treated in these settings. The purpose of this course is to provide the information and encouragement necessary to allow psychologists to properly diagnose, treat, and follow-up with patients with depression.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:

  1. Outline the epidemiology of depression and suicide.
  2. Identify populations at increased risk for depression.
  3. Describe the natural history and pathophysiology of depression.
  4. Evaluate the signs and symptoms of depression utilizing appropriate screening tools.
  5. Employ the appropriate diagnostic criteria for depression, including modifier subtypes.
  6. Assess patients for depressive signs and symptoms, with particular attention to unique features in special populations.
  7. Identify other conditions that can mimic or co-occur with depression.
  8. Create a treatment plan for patients diagnosed with depression.
  9. Compare pharmacotherapies and psychosocial therapies used in the treatment of depression.
  10. Assess patients' reactions to depression treatments and identify treatment-resistance depression.
  11. Recognize and appropriately treat perinatal depression.
  12. Review the epidemiology of suicide.
  13. Describe the impact of suicide in the treatment of special populations, including among the elderly.
  14. Identify risk and protective factors for suicide.
  15. Evaluate tools available for the assessment and evaluation of suicide risk.

Faculty

Mark Rose, BS, MA, LP, is a licensed psychologist in the State of Minnesota with a private consulting practice and a medical research analyst with a biomedical communications firm. Earlier healthcare technology assessment work led to medical device and pharmaceutical sector experience in new product development involving cancer ablative devices and pain therapeutics. Along with substantial experience in addiction research, Mr. Rose has contributed to the authorship of numerous papers on CNS, oncology, and other medical disorders. He is the lead author of papers published in peer-reviewed addiction, psychiatry, and pain medicine journals and has written books on prescription opioids and alcoholism published by the Hazelden Foundation. He also serves as an Expert Advisor and Expert Witness to law firms that represent disability claimants or criminal defendants on cases related to chronic pain, psychiatric/substance use disorders, and acute pharmacologic/toxicologic effects. Mr. Rose is on the Board of Directors of the Minneapolis-based International Institute of Anti-Aging Medicine and is a member of several professional organizations.

Faculty Disclosure

Contributing faculty, Mark Rose, BS, MA, LP, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.

Division Planner

Margaret Donohue, PhD

Division Planner Disclosure

The division planner has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.

Director of Development and Academic Affairs

Sarah Campbell

Director Disclosure Statement

The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.

About the Sponsor

The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.

Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.

Disclosure Statement

It is the policy of NetCE not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.

Technical Requirements

Supported browsers for Windows include Microsoft Internet Explorer 9.0 and up, Mozilla Firefox 3.0 and up, Opera 9.0 and up, and Google Chrome. Supported browsers for Macintosh include Safari, Mozilla Firefox 3.0 and up, Opera 9.0 and up, and Google Chrome. Other operating systems and browsers that include complete implementations of ECMAScript edition 3 and CSS 2.0 may work, but are not supported. Supported browsers must utilize the TLS encryption protocol v1.1 or v1.2 in order to connect to pages that require a secured HTTPS connection. TLS v1.0 is not supported.

Implicit Bias in Health Care

The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.

Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.