Over 50% of psychiatric patients are women. Over 80% of women will have at least one pregnancy, more than half of which are unplanned. These facts compel every psychiatrist to have a basic fund of knowledge regarding the assessment and management of psychiatric illnesses related to women’s reproductive transitions. The National Curriculum in Reproductive Psychiatry (NCRP) was conceived in 2013 by a group of academic reproductive psychiatrists in order to increase access to education and training in reproductive psychiatry. The NCRP offers a free interactive online curriculum that can be used by residency training programs as well as practicing psychiatrists. This course will provide an overview of the basics of reproductive psychiatry for the general psychiatrist using NCRP course materials. Topics will include premenstrual dysphoric disorder, perimenopausal mood symptoms and treatment, psychiatric assessment, decision making and treatment in the pre-pregnancy through the perinatal period, and the management of perinatal psychiatric emergencies. Participants will develop skills in recognizing and treating psychiatric illness in the context of reproductive transitions and will increase their confidence in interpreting the perinatal psychiatry literature with a focus on core tenets of appropriate psychopharmacology in pregnancy and lactation. A theme throughout all of the presentations will be discussion of how social determinants of health impact women’s mental health across the reproductive life cycle. Ample time for questions and discussion will be provided, and participants will practice using materials in small group role play exercises. Participants will also learn to navigate the NCRP website and may continue to use these materials for further self-study or to explore additional topics.

This highly interactive course contains a self-paced learning experience and live learning experiences. Participants are expected to attend all live sessions to be eligible to claim CME or participation credit for the course.

Learning Objectives

• Utilize the National Curriculum in Reproductive Psychiatry (NCRP) to learn fundamentals of reproductive psychiatry.
• Describe the prevalence, symptoms, and treatment of premenstrual and perimenopausal psychiatric disorders and be able to counsel patients on the risk of psychiatric illness during these times.
• Develop an approach to psychiatric assessment in the perinatal period, incorporating awareness of common mental health presentations in the perinatal period.
• Describe the risk-risk analysis of psychopharmacology in the perinatal period, balancing the risks of untreated psychiatric illness with risks of treatment.
• Understand how to recognize and treat psychiatric emergencies in the perinatal period.

Target Audience

Psychiatrists, Residents/Fellows

Estimated Time to Complete

Estimated Duration: 4 hours
Begin Date: May 20, 2022
Credit Claim Date: August 26, 2022

How to Earn Credit

Participants who wish to earn 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 completion date and hours earned. 

Continuing Education Credit

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

The APA designates this enduring CME activity for a maximum of 4 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.

Program Presenters

• Julia Frew, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Medical Education and Vice Chair for Education in the Psychiatry Department at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
• Lucy Hutner, MD, board-certified psychiatrist at Women's Mental Health Consortium has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
• Robyn Valpey, MD,  Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at University of Pittsurgh Department of Psychiatry has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
• Nicole Leistikow, reproductive psychiatrist and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
• Sarah Nagle-Yang, MD. Associate Professor, Psychiatry-Other CI Services at Univerity of Colorado Anschutz medical campus has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Program Planners

• Julia Frew, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Medical Education and Vice Chair for Education in the Psychiatry Department at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
• Lama Bazzi, M.D., Course Subcommittee, APA Scientific Program Committee, has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
• Carlyle Chan, M.D., Course Subcommittee, APA Scientific Program Committee, has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
• Helen Lavretsky, M.D., Course Subcommittee, APA Scientific Program Committee, has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
• Ronald Winchel, M.D., Course Subcommittee, APA Scientific Program Committee, has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
• Abhisek Chandan Khandai, M.D., M.S., Course Subcommittee, APA Scientific Program Committee, has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
• John Luo, M.D., Course Subcommittee, APA Scientific Program Committee, has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
• Michael F. Myers, M.D., Course Subcommittee, APA Scientific Program Committee, has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
• Philip Muskin, M.D., M.A., Course Subcommittee, APA Scientific Program Committee, has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
• Xiaoduo Fan, M.D., M.P.H, Course Subcommittee, APA Scientific Program Committee, has the following financial relationships to disclose - Grant Research: Avanir Corporation, Otsuka Pharmaceuticals, Roche.
• Ally Brown, M.S., Former Associate Director, Online Learning, American Psychiatric Association has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
• Violet Moloney, Instructional Designer, Online Learning, American Psychiatric Association has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

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