This presentation was originally reviewed on December 17, 2024, and live streamed online on December 20, 2024, from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET.

Chronic high-risk suicidality and self-harming behaviors present a great challenge in clinical practice. Often individuals find themselves frequently cycling through inpatient hospitalization as they are assessed as too high-risk to be treated in an outpatient setting. These hospitalizations can be lifesaving in emergent situations with a focus on means restriction and acute stabilization. At the same time, hospitalization may not be able to address the underlying cycles and longer-term psychological treatment needed to address and change future acts of suicide. Furthermore, hospitalization can inadvertently become a reinforcing factor in difficult to change behavior. In this talk we will use Dialectical Behavioral Therapy theory and strategies to identify how we can effectively treat individuals struggling with high-risk thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in an outpatient setting.

In this module, you will assess a patient with major depressive disorder whose current depressive episode has not remitted despite multiple medication trials. The first part reviews the PRAT approach for suspected difficult-to-treat depression. The second describes the STAR*D trial and its implications for additional medication trials. The third part introduces neuromodulation as a treatment strategy, providing an overview of electroconvulsive therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and vagus nerve stimulation.

This presentation was originally reviewed on November 7, 2024, and in person and live streamed online on November 8, 2024, from 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm ET.

In this module, you will have the opportunity to assess a patient with suspected difficult-to-treat depression. The first part reinforces the foundational principles you learned in the introductory module: differentiating syndrome from diagnosis and recognizing suspected difficult-to-treat depression. The second part reviews the PRAT approach and then specifically focuses on how to evaluate the psychiatric diagnosis using a review of systems. The third part reviews the clinical features of bipolar disorder, which is an important diagnosis to consider in suspected difficult-to-treat depression.

This presentation was originally reviewed on October 30, 2024, and in person and live streamed online on November 1, 2024, from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET.

This introductory module forms the foundation for your learning to assess and manage difficult-to-treat depression. The first part describes what depression is and specifically differentiates between the main uses of the word “depression”, which can refer to a symptom, a syndrome, or a diagnosis. The second part defines difficult-to-treat depression, explains why we prefer that concept instead of treatment-resistant depression, and describes the clinical characteristics of that population. The third part outlines the four-step approach to assessing patients with difficult-to-treat depression.

People who suffer with scrupulosity, as a subtype of OCD, can experience a range of challenges getting treatment, such as invalidation of actual spiritual and religious practice (or lack thereof) or becoming overly in obsessional loops and compulsive behaviors. Clinicians often must wade through poorer insight and additional resistance. SCRUPULOSITY: Treating Religious, Moral, and Spiritual Manifestations of OCD invites a brief but comprehensive study into the history of OCD itself—which involves clergy and church history, offering attendees evidence-based tools and resources for best results.

Not all clutter takes up physical space. In our increasingly digital world, many individuals struggle with the accumulation of digital information- over saving photos, files, apps, and emails. Digital hoarding can cause significant stress and impairment, hindering one’s ability to live fully. In this workshop, we’ll explore the various causes and methods of digital hoarding and provide insights into breaking the cycle, helping individuals regain control of their digital lives. We will explore Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and an integrative approach that focuses on motivation and emotional regulation, offering a more personalized and compassionate approach to managing digital overload. Case discussions will be utilized to illustrate different skills and provide valuable insights into recovery. This workshop will offer up to date research addressing the behavior while providing guidance in developing a behavioral plan through actionable strategies to help those impacted by digital hoarding.

This presentation was originally reviewed on February 17, 2025, and live streamed online on February 21, 2025, from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET.