Description 

Evolutionary psychiatry is growing fast. Several new books have given impetus to the field and the Royal College of Psychiatry’s Evolutionary Psychiatry Special Interest Group has over 2000 members. Evolutionary psychiatry is not a method of practice. Instead, it brings the basic science of evolutionary biology to bear on the challenge of understanding behavior in terms of its effects on fitness. This enterprise is parallel to, and synergistic with, the rest of biological psychiatry’s efforts to understand brain mechanisms. An important core principle recognizes anxiety and low mood as evolved defenses; they are, like pain and cough, useful when expressed in the right situation, but useless and painful disorders when expressed otherwise. Recognizing the utility of symptoms and their distinction from diseases confirms that psychiatric practice is like the rest of medicine. To find life situations that may arouse symptoms, a Review of Social Systems can be used to systematically assess what an individual has, wants, and is trying to get (or avoid) in each of six core life domains. This helps determine if symptoms are from a normal or abnormal regulation system, and if they are useful to the individual or not. The goal of this interactive workshop is to introduce the concept of evolutionary psychiatry and its importance in a modern clinical practice. Employing poll questions to aid in active learning, we will begin with an overview of the core principles of evolutionary psychiatry and expose common misunderstandings. We will describe how understanding the origins and functions of a variety of conditions such as anxiety and low mood help patients understand their disorders with reduced stigma, how it may strengthen the clinician-patient alliance, and how it might help the clinician practice more wisely. Using role-play, we will show how to use the social systems tool in clinical practice and present other case examples to illustrate how to effectively talk about evolutionary principles with patients. Finally, we will work in small groups to discuss how an evolutionary framework can foster personal and professional wellbeing by helping clinicians be alert to implicit bias, avoid devaluing those outside of one’s social group, and provide guidance to respond skillfully to the challenges of practicing medicine in our current healthcare environment. Participants will come away from this interactive session primed to learn more, protected against elementary mistakes, and able to apply beginning principles to clinical encounters.

Format 

Recorded webinar.

This content was recorded during the APA 2023 Annual Meeting.

Learning Objectives 

1. Identify at least three reasons why natural selection leaves some traits shared by all members of a species vulnerable to failure.
2. Describe the situations in which anxiety and low mood are useful.
3. Explain how signal detection theory accounts for false alarms in the panic anxiety system.
4. Discuss the six kind of life resources summarized in the mnemonic S.O.C.I.A.L.
5. Apply at least one clinical practice change based on an evolutionary perspective to improve patient care.

Target Audience 

Residents/Fellows, Psychiatrists, Psychologists

Estimate Time to Complete 

Estimated Duration: 1.5 hours
Program Start Date: May 1, 2025
Program End Date: May 1, 2028

How to Earn Credit 

Participants who wish to earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ may do so after completing all sections of the course including the evaluation. After evaluating the program, course participants will be provided with an opportunity to claim hours of participation and print an official CME certificate (physicians) or certificate of participation (non-physicians) showing the completion date and hours earned. 

Continuing Education Credit  

In support of improving patient care, the American Psychiatric Association is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. 

The APA designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. 

Faculty and Planner Disclosures 

The American Psychiatric Association adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CME activity — including faculty, planners, reviewers or others — are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All relevant conflicts of interest have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity. 

Instructors 

• Cynthia Stonnington, MD
• Dan Stein, MD, PhD
• Randolph Nesse, MD
• Kathy Smith, MD

Planners  

• Vishal Madaan, MD, Chief of Education and Deputy Medical Director at the American Psychiatric Association.

Accessibility for Participants with Disabilities 

The American Psychiatric Association is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website to people with disabilities. Please contact the American Psychiatric Association at 202-559-3900, if you require assistance seven (7) business days prior to the start of a live webinar. 

Technical Requirements 

This internet-based CME activity is best experienced using any of the following: 

• The latest and 2nd latest public versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari 
• Internet Explorer 11+ 

This Web site requires that JavaScript and session cookies be enabled. Certain activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of the content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be: Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Windows Media Player. 

Optimal System Configuration: 

• Browser: Google Chrome (latest and 2nd latest version), Safari (latest and 2nd latest version), Internet Explorer 11.0+, Firefox (latest and 2nd latest version), or Microsoft Edge (latest and 2nd latest version) 
• Operating System: Windows versions 8.1+, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) +, Android (latest and 2nd latest version), or iOS/iPad OS (latest and 2nd latest version) 
• Internet Connection: 1 Mbps or higher 

Minimum Requirements: 

• Windows PC: Windows 8.1 or higher; 1 GB (for 32-bit)/2 GB (for 64-bit) or higher RAM; Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content 
• Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.5 or higher with latest updates installed; Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor; 512 MB or higher RAM; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content 

For assistance: Contact educme@psych.org for questions about this activity | Contact learningcenter@psych.org for technical assistance