News and Insights for Psychiatric Pharmacists

Get ready for AAPP Communities Week, October 20–22! Free for all AAPP members, this virtual event is packed with peer-led webinars you won’t want to miss. Explore the schedule, save your favorites to your calendar, and join the conversation. It’s another exciting year of insights, learning, and connection. Register now and see you there!

The 3/6/25 #JournalClub (2/2) presented "Masked Taper With Behavioral Intervention for Discontinuation of Benzodiazepine Receptor Agonists: A Randomized Clinical Trial." The recording is available free to all AAPP members.

AAPP supports access to mood stabilizers, including lithium, for the treatment of bipolar disorder. Psychiatric pharmacists are encouraged to use this policy brief to support your own advocacy for this gold-standard treatment.

This free collection of essentials provides resources, references, and clinical pearls for practitioners beginning to practice in psychiatry.

Improve your peer review skills! Discover the components to evaluate, the role of the peer reviewer, the skills necessary to critically evaluate a manuscript, and how to provide feedback to authors and journal editors.

There has been confusion and controversy about the appropriate clinical goals for the use of medications such as methadone and buprenorphine. A key question has been when, if ever, to taper and discontinue medication.

This review aims to describe approaches taken by programs in non-clinical settings by identifying key components of delivery models, implementation barriers and facilitators, and outcomes.

A practical guide for providing medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and immediate care for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) in primary care and other ambulatory care settings.

Dr. Raeschell Williams, PharmD, BCPS, BCPP, explains how to discuss illicit or non-prescription drug use with patients.

AAPP supports access to mood stabilizers, including lithium, for the treatment of bipolar disorder. Use AAPP’s policy brief to support your own advocacy for this gold-standard treatment (member only resource).

Whether you're improving transitions of care, managing special populations, or building a profitable clinic - this program has you covered! Register now and gain up to 9 CE credits by completing modules of interest. #LAI

Studying for the BCPP exam? Test your knowledge with our 150-question mock exam! #psychpharmacy #BCPP #AAPP #BPS #boardcertification

“Given this landscape, psychiatric pharmacists play a more important role than ever in patient care. Our knowledge, experience, and understanding of other disease states allows us to support the whole patient.” - Dr. Bostwick

Join us as we unravel the complexities of LAIs! Our Advanced LAI Training Program will equip participants with the tools necessary to lead, innovate, and advance LAI patient care and clinic management. #PatientCare #LAIs #psychiatricpharmacy #CE

Pharmacy careers change lives. Learn if a job as a pharmacist is right for you and how you can help people live better, healthier lives. #Pharmacy #PsychPharm

The federal government shutdown last week will likely continue as leaders were unable to win the votes needed to pass the Senate. Since action was not taken before October 1, Medicare telehealth flexibilities that needed a statutory extension have expired. You can view a list of Medicare telehealth flexibilities. on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) webpage. On October 2, CMS sent a bulletin stating in part, “Absent Congressional action, beginning Oct. 1, 2025, many of the statutory limitations that were in place for Medicare telehealth services prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency will take effect again for services that are not behavioral and mental health services.”

There is a shortage of psychiatric pharmacy providers, and patients have unmet needs that can be filled by these individuals. AAPP's position paper describes the expertise and skills of psychiatric pharmacists and the associated positive outcomes for patients with these disorders. This paper also outlines barriers to the provision of services by psychiatric pharmacists and presents action items aimed at effecting change. Read this position paper to learn more about the value of psychiatric pharmacists as part of the health care team. We hope you will consider exploring psychiatric pharmacy for your career.

The CMS Innovation Center recently released evaluation reports and publications related to the MOM Model, a patient-centered service delivery model that aims to improve the quality of care for pregnant and postpartum Medicaid beneficiaries with opioid use disorder (OUD) and their infants. The reports acknowledge that MOM Model beneficiaries faced complex and overlapping health, behavioral and social challenges that demanded flexible, trauma-informed care. The reports cite promising practices emerging that demonstrate how states can advance integrated care for pregnant and postpartum individuals with opioid use disorder in Medicaid by aligning services with patients’ full range of medical, behavioral and social needs.

AAPP supports the use of antipsychotics as the first line treatment for acute and maintenance treatment of schizophrenia, with individual agent and route of administration selected based on patient-specific factors. Psychiatric pharmacists are encouraged to use this policy brief to support your own advocacy for this gold-standard treatment.

It is time to update the directory of Psychiatric Pharmacy Residency Programs. We want your help to self-identify if you participate in residencies. By adding your information to the site, you can raise the visibility of your program among those with a strong interest in psychiatric pharmacy. NEW fields allow you to include your recruitment open-house information.

The AAPP Foundation has awarded over $70,000 in research grants and educational support in 2025! We need your support to reach our goal of raising $75,000 to continue these important programs. Help us shape the future of psychiatric pharmacy through these important projects with a donation today.

AAPP members Michelle Geier, PharmD, APh, BCPP, FAAPP; Michelle Colvard, PharmD, BCPP; and Rebecca Hoss, PharmD, BCPP represented AAPP and psychiatric pharmacy in presenting a session on the important role of psychiatric pharmacists in treating and engaging patients with MOUD. Speakers detailed their practice models and the significant impact they make as psychiatric pharmacists in various settings including in public health, an outpatient SUD clinic, and a hospital system. We appreciate their contributions and advocacy on behalf of psychiatric pharmacy.

Each 30-minute webinar offers a dynamic, peer-driven discussion focused on complex substance use disorder cases. Free to AAPP members! Click the link to learn more and register.

ASAM has expanded its benzodiazepine tapering resource suite to support clinicians and patients.

The 10/17/24 #JournalClub article 1 presented "Evaluation of major adverse events of clozapine based on accordance to an international titration guideline." The recording is available free to all AAPP members.

There are over 700,000 pharmacists, technicians, and student pharmacists, and each one is dedicated to improving public health by providing vital services and keeping their communities safe. We are so proud of our members, and this month we celebrate you!

AAPP supports the use of antipsychotics as the first line treatment for acute and maintenance treatment of schizophrenia. Use AAPP’s policy brief to support your own advocacy for this gold-standard treatment (member only resource).

Missed the webinar? You're in luck! "Better Together: Pharmacists and Laboratorians Advancing Care" remains available for on-demand viewing and is free for all members through 10/31/25. Discover how dynamic collaboration between pharmacists and laboratorians is transforming patient care. Watch the recording today—registration is open!

This toolkit provides a resource for recognizing, understanding, and managing episodes of agitation and forms of aggression encountered in clinical practice.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration initiated the process for a label change for acetaminophen (Tylenol and similar products) to reflect evidence suggesting that the use of acetaminophen by pregnant women may be associated with an increased risk of neurological conditions such as autism and ADHD in children. The agency also issued a related letter alerting physicians nationwide.

AAPP supports access to antidepressants for youth with moderate to severe symptoms of a depressive, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive-based disorder and reconsideration of the boxed warning on new-onset suicidal thoughts/behaviors given its many unintended consequences and role in accelerating stigma. Psychiatric pharmacists are encouraged to use this policy brief to support your own advocacy for this gold-standard treatment.

The value and impact of psychiatric pharmacists takes center stage in this HealthWell Foundation feature article.

In early November, AAPP will be launching a 5.5 hour educational series on clozapine. Grant funded in partnership with the Schizophrenia & Psychosis Alliance, this program seeks to educate clinicians and expand the use of clozapine. News of this grant has also promoted the role of psychiatric pharmacists as seen in this article on HealthWell Foundation’s website. HealthWell is a non-profit that provides financial assistance for insurance and medications for illnesses such as schizophrenia. A special thanks for AAPP President Jolene Bostwick for so eloquently describing the value and impact of psychiatric pharmacists.

AAPP members Michelle Geier, PharmD, APh, BCPP, FAAPP; Michelle Colvard, PharmD, BCPP; and Rebecca Hoss, PharmD, BCPP represented AAPP and psychiatric pharmacy in presenting a session on the important role of psychiatric pharmacists in treating and engaging patients with MOUD. Speakers detailed their practice models and the significant impact they make as psychiatric pharmacists in various settings including in public health, an outpatient SUD clinic, and a hospital system. We appreciate their contributions and advocacy on behalf of psychiatric pharmacy.

Persisting high rates of mental health disorders in patients in opioid agonist treatment—Results from a 6-year longitudinal study

Use of stigmatizing language related to substance use disorders in media: A systematic review

Medications for Opioid Use Disorder in County Jails — Outcomes after Release

This study provides the first evidence that CM use in real-world health care settings is associated with reduced risk of mortality.

Richard J. Silvia, PharmD, BCPP discusses ways to communicate risks vs benefits of OTCs in patients with anxiety.

AAPP supports access to antidepressants for youth with moderate to severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, or OCD and reconsideration of the suicide boxed warning. Use AAPP’s policy brief to advocate for this gold-standard treatment.

Access valuable psychiatric treatment guideline and clinical pearl resources at AAPP

Collaborative practice agreements permit clinical pharmacists to provide expanded healthcare services to patients. Learn more in this 11-minute video.

Our newly launched, member-protected Policy Statements and Briefs webpage details AAPP’s stance on over 35 topics surrounding access to care, gold standard treatments, and needed policies to support access to care and psychiatric pharmacists. These policy statements are further supported by our advocacy fact sheets and 7 policy briefs, a new set of resources authored by our Rapid Action Task Force. Please check out these new resources and provide your feedback directly from the webpage.

The 10/17/24 #JournalClub article 2 presented "A Retrospective Review of Intramuscular Olanzapine and Parenteral Benzodiazepine Coadministration in the Emergency Department." The recording is available free to all AAPP members.

Last week, the Senate passed a reauthorization of the SUPPORT Act in a rare show of bipartisanship. The SUPPORT Act reauthorizes key prevention, treatment and recovery programs for patients with substance use disorder, including programs to support the behavioral health workforce. Among the reauthorized programs are the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery (STAR) Loan Repayment Program, helping bolster the workforce by providing loan repayment opportunities for SUD treatment and recovery providers in the face of severe workforce shortages — as well as critical recovery efforts through the Building Communities of Recovery (BCOR) program and comprehensive opioid recovery centers. The bill now heads to President Trump’s desk for his signature.

Initiation and Dose of Methadone Monotherapy vs Combination Therapy, 2015 to 2023

Retention rates and cost-effectiveness of telehealth vs. in-person buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD)