This multimedia course teaches you about the diagnosis and treatment of mood disorders during pregnancy, postpartum, and breastfeeding. It is designed to provide practical, evidence-based strategies that you can apply in your practice.

Learning Objectives (Click to expand and contract)

After completing this course, you should be able to:

1. Identify the clinical risk factors, diagnostic criteria, and screening tools for detecting depression and bipolar disorder during pregnancy and postpartum periods.
2. Evaluate the relative risks and benefits of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments for mood disorders in perinatal patients, including considerations for breastfeeding.
3. Apply current evidence-based guidelines to manage perinatal mood disorders, including the use of psychiatric medications and emerging treatments such as zuranolone.
4. Formulate treatment plans for complex perinatal cases, including patients with comorbid substance use disorders, legal considerations, or cognitive capacity issues.
5. Assess decision-making capacity in pregnant patients with mental illness using the four-component framework (communication, understanding, appreciation, and rational thought process) and implement appropriate surrogate decision-making processes when capacity is lacking.
6.  Analyze the evidence-based relationship between abortion and mental health outcomes, distinguishing between methodologically sound research and politically influenced studies to provide accurate patient counseling.
7. Develop comprehensive treatment strategies for pregnant patients with substance use disorders, including proper initiation and monitoring of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) while navigating legal and child protective services considerations.
8. Evaluate the safety profiles of various substances during pregnancy and breastfeeding, applying pharmacokinetic principles and harm reduction strategies to optimize maternal and neonatal outcomes in patients with addiction.
   

How to take this course for CME credit: 

1. Review the learning objectives by clicking here 
2. Review the post test questions to enhance your learning experience by clicking here (optional; after taking the course you will need to answer these same questions for credit). 
3. Begin the course with Module 1, clicking on the various course materials sequentially.
4. The entire course will take most people about 5 hours to complete. You may interrupt the course at any time without losing your place.
5. When you are ready to take the CME post-test to gain credit,  click the button at the top of this page that reads: "You have access to this continuing education material. Click here to earn credit."

Course Materials
Module 1 - Depression During Pregnancy - 1 hour
In this module, you will learn to identify risk factors for depression in pregnancy, reliably screen for depression among pregnant women, weigh the risks and benefits of various treatment options for depressed pregnant women, and know how to select the most appropriate treatment.

• Webinar: Treatment of Depression During Pregnancy with Victoria Hendrick, MD (42 minutes)

• Webinar Transcript: Treatment of Depression During Pregnancy (PDF)
• Post-Webinar review sheet (PDF 5-minute read)
• Expert Interview: Treatment of Depression During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding with Karen Horst, MD (PDF 13-minute read)

Module 2 - Depression During Postpartum and Breastfeeding - 1 hour
This module  covers how to identify risk factors for postpartum depression, understand and reliably diagnose postpartum depression, employ safe treatment approaches for postpartum depression, including for women who are breastfeeding, and summarize some of the current and latest research findings in the field,

Webinar: Management of Depression During Postpartum and Breastfeeding with Victoria Hendrick, MD (28 minutes)

• Webinar Transcript: Management of Depression During Postpartum and Breastfeeding (PDF)
• Post-Webinar review sheet (5-minute read)
• Review Article: Diagnosing and Treating Postpartum Depression by Amanda Koire, MD, PhD (13-minute read)
• Research Update: Does Vitamin B6 Prevent Postpartum Depression? by Brian Miller, MD, PhD, MPH (5-minute read)
• Research Update: Zuranolone for Postpartum Depression by Michael Posternak, MD (5-minute read)

Module 3 - Bipolar Disorder During Pregnancy and Postpartum - 1 hour
This module helps you understand the course of bipolar disorder in pregnancy and the postpartum, learn the risks associated with pharmacologic treatments of bipolar disorder in pregnancy; gain an awareness of the safety of psychiatric medications when taken during breastfeeding; and summarize some of the current research findings in psychiatric treatment of bipolar disorder in pregnancy. 

• Webinar: Treatment of Bipolar Disorder in Pregnant and Postpartum Women with Victoria Hendrick, MD (39 minutes)

• Webinar Transcript: Treatment of Bipolar Disorder in Pregnant and Postpartum Women (PDF)
• Post-Webinar review sheet (5-minute read)
• Expert Interview: Management of Depression During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding with Lauren Osborne, MD (13-minute read)
• Review Article: Postpartum Psychosis: A Primer by Reid Mergler, MD (10-minute read)
• Research Update: Perinatal Bipolar Mood Episodes: More Prevalent Than We Thought by Jeremy Mills, DNP, PMHNP-BC (5-minute read)
• Research Update: Antipsychotics in Pregnancy and Risk of Neurodevelopmental Disorders by Sébastien Hardy, Pharm D, BCPS (5-minute read)
• Research Update: Lithium Exposure In Utero – How Bad Is It Really? by Lara Tang, MD and Victoria Hendrick, MD (5-minute read)

Module 4 - Special Considerations in Perinatal Mental Health - 23 Minutes
This text-based module covers post-abortion mental health and patients with capacity questions for pregnant patients with chronic mental health conditions.

• Review Article: Does Abortion Lead to Psychiatric Issues? by Sarah K. Rivelli, MD (10-minute read)
• Expert Interview: Capacity Assessment in Pregnant Patients by Saba Syed, MD (13-minute read)

Module 5 - Substance Use Disorders in Pregnancy - 1 hour
This text-based module covers substance use disorders in pregnancy.

• Expert Interview: The Pregnant Patient with Substance Use Disorder with Ariadna Forray, MD (13-minute read)
• Expert Interview: Pregnancy, Addiction, and the Law with Elisabeth Johnson, PhD, FNP-BC, CARN-AP, LCAS (13-minute read)
• Review Article: Breastfeeding and Addiction by Pochu Ho, MD (10-minute read)
• Research Update: Perinatal MOUD Use and Infant Discharge to Biological Parents by Destiny Pegram, MD (5-minute read)
• Research Update: Opioid Use Disorder Treatment During the Peripartum Period by Gregory Nikogosyan, DO (5-minute read)
• Research Update: Buprenorphine Versus Methadone for Opioid Use Disorder in Pregnancy by Richard Moldawsky, MD (5-minute read)
• Research Update: Psychological Interventions for Cannabis Addiction (5-minute read)

Module 6 - Brief fact sheets and clinical tools - 10 Minutes
This module provides a set of useful fact sheets and clinical tools related to pregnancy and postpartum patients.

• The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale 
• Fact Sheet: Breastfeeding and Psych Meds
• Fact Sheet: Depression in Pregnancy
• Fact Sheet: Postpartum Depression
• Fact Sheet: Postpartum Psychosis

Total Time: 4.5 hours 

Instructors: 

CME Credit:  4.5

Fees: $59.95 

Refund and Cancellation Policy: Purchasers and subscribers may cancel at any time for a full refund if not completely satisfied.

Instructions for requesting accessibility accommodations:
If you need assistance accessing the course materials, please contact us using the contact form https://www.thecarlatreport.com/contact-us

Course completion requirements:
To earn credit, doctors, nurses, and mental health clinicians must purchase the course, read the material, and complete the post-test (with a passing score of 80%) and complete the course evaluation. Post-tests may be retaken.

When and how certificates are issued: Certificates of completion will be emailed upon course completion.

Contact information for questions or concerns: For questions, concerns, or to request special accommodations, please email carlat@thecarlatreport.com or call 866-348-9279.

CME Accreditation: The Carlat CME Institute is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Carlat CME Institute maintains responsibility for this program and its content. 

The download list below is a duplicate of the links embedded in the course material above. 

There is no need to go through the files twice.