The Journal of clinical psychiatry
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Both the usage of prescription drugs such as opioid analgesics and benzodiazepines and overdoses involving them have increased dramatically in the United States since the 1990s. Patients using these drugs often have a combination of painful conditions, substance abuse, and other forms of mental illness. Psychiatrists and many primary care physicians might not be familiar with existing evidence-based guidelines for opioid prescribing or with programs designed to reduce the abuse of prescription drugs such as state prescription drug monitoring programs. Psychiatrists need to be informed regarding this problem to partner effectively with both pain specialists and primary care providers in their community.
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Bipolar disorder is a complex condition that is difficult to diagnose and treat, and many patients with this illness are not receiving adequate care, particularly in the early stages of the disorder when effective treatment is most critical. Self-Assessment CME is an educational activity in which clinicians answer a series of multiple-choice questions to ascertain their current knowledge and practice in treating CNS disorders. After completing the self-assessment, clinicians have the opportunity to review correct answers, see how their colleagues responded, and receive recommendations for further reading. This Self-Assessment CME activity focuses on recognizing and bridging gaps in knowledge pertaining to bipolar disorder recognition and treatment.