Suicide remains an all too frequent yet often preventable cause of death in the United States and around the world. A host of psychiatric conditions are associated with suicide risk and accurate diagnosis and prompt treatment of these conditions can be lifesaving. Most individuals who die by suicide have seen a clinician within a relatively short period of time before their death but few are provided treatment aimed at preventing suicide and fewer still receive what we would consider optimal treatment. Medications often are used to prevent suicide yet we have only one FDA approved medication for suicide prevention Clozaril which must be given under very special circumstances and for a relatively few of the “at-risk” population and is only approved for those with Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder. This symposium will be focused on the outpatient management of a wide range of psychiatric patients at risk for suicide. It will provide pragmatic guidelines to help mental health clinicians assess and optimally manage suicide risk for several mental conditions treated in ambulatory settings. Optimal pharmacological management requires a multimodal approach aimed at treating the underlying condition as well as specifically targeting suicidal thoughts and behaviors. It often involves not only choosing the right medication but also providing “enhanced” clinical management collaborative suicide safety planning involvement with other providers and family and strategies for life-long management. The presentation will feature assessment and prevention across a variety of mental disorders and conditions including but not limited to anxiety depressive and traumatic disorders schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders and suicide-loss bereavement. Short presentations will be supplemented by ample time for interactive discussion and case vignettes.
Format
Recorded webinar, non-interactive, self-paced distance learning activity.
This presentation was recorded at the 2025 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting.
Learning Objectives
- To be aware of and be able to prescribe medications for patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders manage psychiatric disorders for patients who have suicidal ideation and behavior and to mana
- Be aware of ongoing research efforts in the search for specific anti-suicidality medications with a rapid onset of anti-suicidality action for specific phenotypes of Suicidality Disorders
- Based on the literature practice and plan management of suicidality for the most common psychiatric disorders
- Teach and delineate treatment and long-term management as above while incorporating in clinician’s routine practice
- Understand the increased risk of suicidality associated with prescribing many psychiatric medications
Target Audience
Medical Students, Residents/Fellows, Psychiatrists
Estimated Time to Complete
Estimated Duration: 1.5 hours
Begin Date: September 1, 2026
End Date: September 1, 2029
How to Earn Credit
Participants who wish to earn 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ™ or a certificate of participation may do so by 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 event 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.
Physicians
The APA designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ™. 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.
Program Presenters
- David Sheehan, MDMBA, FACPsych, DLFAPA
Program Planners
- Vishal Madaan, MD. Chief of Education and Deputy Medical Director, APA.
Accessibility for Participants with Disabilities
The American Psychiatric Association is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website to people with disabilities. If you have trouble accessing any of APA’s online resources, please contact us at 202-559-3900 for assistance.
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