This course provides a public health framework to underscore why gun violence exposure is a serious health risk for adolescents and emerging adults. The reconciliation and alignment of a public health framework, with existing social and attitudinal beliefs about firearms, to reduce youth exposure to gun-related violence will be discussed including gun safety and reducing access to lethal means. Gun violence—whether in the form of homicides, mass shootings or suicides, kills nearly 30,000 Americans every year. These daunting statistics have not motivated Congress to allow for more federal funding to understand this public health problem. The goal of this course is to inform mental health clinicians about firearm-related violence and its impact on the mental health of adolescents and emerging adults. 

**This content was captured at the 2019 APA Annual Meeting and may reference information from various sources and terminology from previous editions of the DSM.

Course References

• Goldstick JE, Carter PM, Walton MA, Dahlberg LL, Sumner SA, Zimmerman MA, et al. Development of the SaFETy Score: A Clinical Screening Tool for Predicting Future Firearm Violence Risk. Ann Intern Med. 2017;166:707–714. doi: 10.7326/M16-1927.
• John S. Rozel and Edward P. Mulvey. The Link Between Mental Illness and Firearm Violence: Implications for Social Policy and Clinical Practice. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology. 2017;13:1, 445-469.

Learning Objectives

• Explain the historical reasons why the CDC is restricted from studying gun violence.
• Describe the disproportionate percentage of young blacks who are gun homicide victims.
• Explain why providing trauma-informed care to youth who have experienced gun violence may reduce future gun carrying and gun violence among high risk, vulnerable adolescents.
• Describe the impact of increased firearm access and right to carry laws on college campuses on liability concerns for students with a history of mental illness.
• Describe the rates of diagnosed mental illness among those who commit gun violence.

Target Audience

Psychiatrists, Residents/Fellows

Estimated Time to Complete

Estimated Duration: 60 minutes
Begin Date: May 1, 2020
End Date: May 1, 2023

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 1 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

Program Presenters

• Stephan Carlson, M.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at NYMC; Director of Medical Education and Faculty Development in Psychiatry at Brookdale University Medical Center. Disclosures - Speaker Bureau/Speaker Honoraria: Janssen Pharmaceuticals
• Jason Hershberger, M.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at NYMC; Chairman of Psychiatry at Brookdale University Medical Center and Interfaith Medical Center
• William Darby, M.D., Associate Director, UCLA Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program; Director, Forensic Clinic, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
• Ziv Cohen, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Program Planners

• Tristan Gorrindo, M.D., Director of Education, American Psychiatric Association. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.

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 Flash, 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