News and Insights for Psychiatric Pharmacists

New data are emerging, but by no means definitive, that alcohol consumption and binge drinking among adults in the United States (US) have begun a recent decline just in the past 2 to 3 years.

The concept of addiction, traditionally confined to substances such as drugs and alcohol, has expanded to encompass behavioral patterns such as compulsive eating

AAPP Foundation has awarded the 2025 AAPP Practice Expansion grant to P. Brittany Vickery for the project, “The Hendersonville Free Clinic Practice Expansion via Flexible-Schedule Telepsychiatry Provided by a Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner.” The project will expand access to care by a BCPP at multiple clinics. The $25,000 grant was funded through a gift from AAPP Founding Member Joni Fowler.

The AAPP Foundation continues to proudly support the AAPP Outcomes Initiative with a second $250,000 research grant. This 2025 grant has been awarded to study the impact of care by psychiatric pharmacists on the treatment of depression. The project, “Alternate Prescriber Type - Depression Management (Trial APT-DM): Impact of Psychiatric Pharmacist on Major Depressive Disorder in Primary Care,” will be led by Co-Principal Investigators, Dr. Nathaniel Rickles (UConn School of Pharmacy), Dr. Wilner Samson (Hartford Healthcare), and Dr. Charles Caley (Western New England University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences). Congratulations to the researchers! And thanks to all psychiatric pharmacists for their work treating patients with depression!

Thirty Fellows have been selected to the second class of FAAPPs. The AAPP Fellows Program recognizes members who have demonstrated excellence in advancing the practice of psychiatric pharmacy and distinguished themselves in advancing the mission and goals of AAPP, thereby promoting public awareness of the profession.

AAPP congratulates the thirty psychiatric pharmacists selected as Fellows of AAPP.

Register by the March 19th early registration deadline to pay the lowest rates for AAPP 2026! The AAPP Annual Meeting is the premier event for psychiatric pharmacotherapy education and networking, and we can't wait to host AAPP 2026 in the Pacific Northwest, April 19-22, 2026.

Here are 10 recent scientific developments.

BPS is seeking psychiatric pharmacists to serve as standard setting panelists. You can apply through March 2, 2026.

AAPP congratulates Dr. Aaron Salwan for being recognized as recipient of the inaugural AAPP Early Practitioner Award. #AAPP #PsychPharm

AAPP congratulates Dr. Zoe Karavolis for being recognized as recipient of the inaugural AAPP Early Practitioner Award. #AAPP #PsychPharm

Through expert guidance, participants will refine their presentation skills and learn how to captivate audiences. This 2-hour program with ACPE credit provides a unique opportunity to gain practical tools to elevate speaking abilities, enhance your expertise and confidence, and make you a standout voice in the field of psychiatric pharmacy. Don't miss this opportunity to learn!

AAPP congratulates Dr. Jerry McKee for being recognized as 2026 recipient of the Judith J Saklad Memorial Award. #AAPP #SakladAward #PsychPharm

Learn the workings of a career in academia from Shari Allen, Pharm.D., BCPP!

Despite strong training, new psychiatric pharmacists will encounter challenging trainees throughout their career. Here are 5 guidelines to prevent rotation problems.

#AAPP2026 Spotlight: Psychiatric and Neurologic Medication Pipeline, presented by Stephen R. Saklad, PharmD, BCPP. In this session, participants will learn about therapeutic advances in new and emerging psychiatric and neurologic medications and how these agents fit into current clinical practice. Join us at the 2026 AAPP Annual Meeting in Bellevue, WA, on Seattle’s Eastside, for this session! #AAPP #psychpharmacy #acpe #bcpp #bcpmp

Order your t-shirts, polo, sweater, sweatshirts, and more, and walk in style in your AAPP gear! The store will close on March 2. Grab your psych pharmacy colleagues and order together to save on shipping!

AAPP is pleased to announce the selection of the 2026 class of AAPP Fellows. The AAPP Fellow Program recognizes members who have demonstrated excellence in advancing the practice of psychiatric pharmacy and have distinguished themselves in advancing the mission and goals of AAPP, thereby promoting public awareness of the profession.

Current evidence does not indicate a clinically important increase in the likelihood of autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, or intellectual disability in children of pregnant individuals who use paracetamol as directed, supporting existing recommendations on its safety.

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.

Founding member and Past President Julie Dopheide, PharmD, BCPP has been named the recipient of the Warren E. Weaver/Richard P. Penna Award from the Board of Pharmacy Specialties. This award is for individual persons recognized for having made outstanding voluntary contributions to the advancement of BPS board certification of pharmacists. As noted by Tien M.H. Ng, PharmD, BCPS, FHFSA, FACC, FCCP, “Dr. Dopheide was among the leaders who worked toward getting psychiatric pharmacy approved as a recognized BPS specialty back in the early 1990’s,” and she has “maintained her certification continuously, and has enthusiastically promoted the value of board certification locally and nationally.” Congratulations Julie!

The Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners (JCPP) convened national pharmacy association leaders in Alexandria, VA, on January 14, 2026, for a meeting focused on “Policy Challenges Impacting Distribution and Access to Pharmaceuticals and Pharmacists’ Services.” CEOs, presidents, and senior staff met to examine how rapidly evolving federal and global policy developments are reshaping medication access, pharmacy practice models, and patient care. During the meeting the attendees honored the retirement of long-time association leader and ASHP CEO, Paul Abramowitz, recognizing his decades of service to hospital and health-system pharmacy and his leadership within the pharmacy profession.

These findings add to the growing international literature highlighting how drug policy contradicts expert assessments of drug harms across nations.

Varenicline has demonstrated efficacy in supporting e-cigarette cessation, whereas the current evidence for NRT and cytisine remains insufficient to draw firm conclusions.

In this randomized clinical trial including 436 participants with moderate to severe opioid use disorder, both the 100-mg and 300-mg maintenance doses improved opioid abstinence and were well tolerated without any new safety signals. In post hoc analyses, the 300-mg dose performed better than the 100-mg dose among participants who used fentanyl daily, 14 times or more per week, or both.

In this survey study, the majority of 396 clinicians surveyed (72.0%) reported encountering problems initiating buprenorphine treatment among patients using fentanyl in the past year, and 67.3% reported modifying their standard induction protocols.

#AAPP2026 Spotlight: The Bup Bulletin: Navigating Updates to Prescribing, presented by Lindsey Garner, PharmD, MBA, BCPS, BCPP. Treatment guidelines for psychiatric and neurologic conditions continue to advance, impacting how care is delivered and requiring psychiatric pharmacists to stay alert to new evidence. Psychiatric pharmacists will gain actionable insights to inform pharmacologic decision-making and confidently integrate new recommendations into everyday practice. Join us at the 2026 AAPP Annual Meeting in Bellevue, WA, on Seattle’s Eastside, for this session! #AAPP #psychpharmacy #acpe #bcpp #bcpmp

#AAPP2026 Spotlight: Differences in Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI), Passive and Active Suicidal Ideation, presented by Ashley Perkins, PharmD. Accurately distinguishing between non-suicidal self-injury, passive suicidal ideation, and active suicidal ideation is essential for effective suicide risk assessment and intervention. This session will clarify key definitions, explore the clinical differences between these behaviors and thought patterns, and highlight evidence-based screening tools used to identify and respond to each. Join us at the 2026 AAPP Annual Meeting in Bellevue, WA, on Seattle’s Eastside, for this session! #AAPP #psychpharmacy #acpe #bcpp #bcpmp

AAPP and the AAPP Foundation are pleased to be offering a complimentary, 2-hour workshop: Cultivating Expertise: Enhancing Presentation Design and Speaker Development in Psychiatric Pharmacists. Earn ACPE credit and make yourself a standout voice in the field of psychiatric pharmacy!

Calling all subject matter experts! AAPP is encouraging all members to self-nominate for a presentation or author opportunity in AAPP’s upcoming events and products. Mark your submission as final by the March 12, 2026, deadline.

As an organization driven by and for psychiatric pharmacists, it is important for us to hear from you related to your educational needs. This survey, available at the link below, will take approximately 10 minutes of your time and will provide our educational committees with invaluable information as we plan future activities and events tailored to you. We thank you in advance for your time.

Avoiding difficult conversations can lead to stress, reduced engagement, and low morale. Dr. Maria Blaze shares important tips to help you navigate.

#AAPP2026 Spotlight: The Bup Bulletin: Navigating Updates to Prescribing, presented by Zachary Hill, PharmD, BCPP, MA. Buprenorphine prescribing continues to evolve, with recent updates to initiation guidance for extended-release subcutaneous formulations and growing interest in micro- and macro-dosing strategies. This session will review key changes in product labeling, outline core dosing principles across formulations, and examine emerging evidence to inform safe and effective treatment of opioid use disorder. Join us at the 2026 AAPP Annual Meeting in Bellevue, WA, on Seattle’s Eastside, for this session! #AAPP #psychpharmacy #acpe #bcpp #bcpmp

AAPP member Kelly Lee has co-authored an important work in AJHP on National trends in pharmacist and pharmacy technician suicide: Incidence and associated features.

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.

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.

AAPP Board member Danielle Stutzman, PharmD, BCPP, represented psychiatric pharmacy in expressing concerns about study's potential to perpetuate stigmatization of vaccines and, in particular, ASD.

#AAPP2026 Spotlight: The Mind-Body Connection: Integrating Psychiatric and Holistic Care in Fibromyalgia Management, presented by Emily Leppien, PharmD, BCPS, BCPP. This session will equip psychiatric pharmacists with the knowledge to recognize fibromyalgia symptoms, understand its neurobiological underpinnings, and evaluate both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment strategies. Join us at the 2026 AAPP Annual Meeting in Bellevue, WA, on Seattle’s Eastside, for this session! #AAPP #psychpharmacy #acpe #bcpp #bcpmp

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

These free articles are intended to provide advice from experts for students, residents, and new practitioners.

AAPP has recently partnered with HealthWell Foundation, a non-profit foundation that provides financial assistance to adults and children facing medical hardship resulting from gaps in their insurance that cause out-of-pocket medical expenses to escalate rapidly. HealthWell assists with the treatment-related cost-sharing obligations of these patients.

Dr. Sadie Roestenburg, PharmD, BCPS, talks about managing Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT).

With just 26 days before Medicare telehealth flexibilities expire, the American Medical Association (AMA) asked lawmakers to work with the Congressional Budget Office on new forward-looking scoring it says would justify permanent telehealth reforms. The powerful physician lobby floated an issue brief that dovetails with the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda, arguing empirical analysis not currently considered by CBO suggest telehealth offers long-term savings from early intervention, improved chronic disease management and reduced use of costly emergency and inpatient services. The brief says these elements affect key drivers of health care costs: clinician retention, care quality, patient engagement and the avoidance of costly emergency or inpatient care. A more comprehensive approach is needed to evaluate the economic impact of telehealth, including effects on the sustainability and efficiency of federal health programs and the broader health care system, the lobby says.