Managing Health Risks in Psychiatric Patients: Practical Clinical Interventions
A supplement to Clinical Psychiatry News supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Pfizer. This supplement was jointly sponsored by The Elsevier Office of Continuing Medical Education (EOCME), an ACCME accredited provider, and Clinical Psychiatry News.
The articles in this supplement are based on clinical dialogues with the faculty.
To view the supplement, click the image above. To take the CME test, download and print out the PDF file, and follow the test instructions on page 16.
Faculty
Medical Risk Factors in Patients With Serious Psychiatric Disorders: An Introduction
Management of Antipsychotic-Induced Weight Gain and Metabolic Problems in Psychiatric Patients
Peter J. Weiden, MD
Professor of Psychiatry
SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Brooklyn, N.Y. Consultant: AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Janssen, Organon Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., Pfizer, and Vanda Pharmaceuticals; Stockholder: AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer; Grant Support/Honoraria: AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen Pharmaceutica, and Pfizer.
Cigarette Smoking and Schizophrenia
Joseph P. McEvoy, MD
Deputy Clinical Director
Biological Psychiatry
John Umstead Hospital
Butner, N.C. Research Support: AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Janssen Pharmaceutica, L.P., Eli Lilly and Company, and Pfizer Inc.; Consultant: Lilly and Pfizer; Speaker's Bureau: Bristol-Myers Squibb and Janssen. He discusses unlabeled uses of clozapine, buproprion, and nicotine replacement regimens.
Intended Audience
This activity has been developed for psychiatrists and other mental health care professionals who are involved in the diagnosis and management of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar illness, and other psychiatric conditions that are treated with antipsychotic medications.
Program Goal
As with any medications, the second-generation antipsychotic agents (also known as atypical antipsychotic drugs) are associated with side effects that limit their use in certain clinical settings. As a class, these drugs are more effective and safer than the previous generation of antipsychotics (the so-called conventional agents), but several of the newer agents present an increased risk in some patients for metabolic dysfunction, including dyslipidemia, glucose and insulin abnormalities, and weight gain. In addition, an estimated 70% to 80% of patients with schizophrenia still smoke cigarettes. Clinicians must take these factors into consideration and should be aware of the latest data supporting intervention strategies to minimize these risks. These include switching among medications to improve metabolic parameters in individual patients and behavioral intervention (as well as adjunctive medication, if appropriate) for smoking cessation.
Educational Objectives
After reading and studying this supplement, participants should be able to discuss:
• The general background health risks associated with schizophrenia.
• The results of extensions of medication switching studies regarding both efficacy and side effects (specifically, metabolic parameters).
• The main principles to consider when switching patients from one antipsychotic agent to another.
• Why cigarette smoking is such an important health issue among patients with schizophrenia and other psychiatric illnesses.
• Smoking cessation strategies that may be helpful in clinical practice.
Accreditation Statement
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint sponsorship of the Elsevier Office of Continuing Medical Education (EOCME) and Clinical Psychiatry News. The EOCME is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The EOCME designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA/PRA category 1 credits toward the American Medical Association (AMA) Physician's Recognition Award (PRA). Each physician should claim only those hours of credit that he/she actually spent in the educational activity.
Term of Approval: December 2005–December 31, 2006.
