American Academy of Family Physicians (04/03/2023)

A new continuing medical education activity from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) focuses on mental and behavioral health. "Many of our patients may feel comfortable with us and will appreciate the local family physician's ability to treat their mental health concerns without always referring to a specialist," said activity chair Santina Wheat, MD, MPH, with the Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. "This course will allow family physicians to feel better prepared to handle these concerns." The activity will include 11 sessions covering topics including anxiety, application of evidence-based criteria for anxiety and depression in practice, bipolar disorder and suicide risk assessment in the primary care outpatient environment. Participants will gain skills in helping patients overcome barriers to changes in disease management; preparing plans for diagnosing, treating, and managing common mental and behavioral health issues in primary care; and setting up procedures to provide care coordination and behavioral health integration models. The new activity will replace AAFP's current neurology and behavioral health course. "Particularly in underserved areas, there are not enough of our psychiatry colleagues to support all of the needs," Wheat noted. "Additionally, some patients may not want to receive treatment from psychiatrists because of the stigma of mental health treatments.

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