News and Insights for Psychiatric Pharmacists

Mental illness and substance use disorders are common in correctional populations. Watch this video to learn about a psychiatric pharmacist's role in correctional healthcare.

The 2026 AAPP Outcomes Research Grants provide $15,000 each to support retrospective studies on bipolar, clozapine, and MOUD. Mark your calendar for the Q&A session June 30, 2026! Get your questions answered and learn how to advance your research. #PsychPharm

The mock exam is composed of 150 questions based on the content domains and knowledge statements included in the BPS content outline. Register today and practice, practice, practice!

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

AAPP's newest policy brief addresses misinformation about the association between antidepressants and violence, emphasizing the safety and benefits of antidepressants for treating various mental health disorders.

Respectful communication about mental health is especially important during times of transition, including housing instability or reentry into the community. Compassionate words signal safety when people need it most. #MHAM2026 #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth

This article highlights state-level progress toward pharmacist reimbursement since the 2024 manuscript on this topic. A special thanks to the many AAPP members who assisted in the research and authorship of this manuscript which highlights expansion of pharmacist test-and-treat authority, new commercial coverage mandates, explicit Medicaid provider enrollment and reimbursement structures, and broadened scope-of-practice provisions tied to payment. Collectively, these developments reinforce the emergent bottom-up trajectory of pharmacist reimbursement reform and highlight the steady, incremental strengthening of pharmacist integration within state health systems.

This talk will provide a background on traditional kratom and an overview of the recent proliferation of novel, kratom-derived products. Industry marketing, confused media coverage, and dynamic government policy will be described, as all influence public health responses.

This paper introduces behavioral health, Medicaid, and public health agency leaders, administrators, managers, and policymakers to selected public child- and family-serving systems.

This systematic review and meta-analysis indicated a small association between antidepressants and ADHD or ASD.

CMS has formally acknowledged and encouraged the involvement of clinical pharmacists in medication management and deprescribing activities through team-based care models. In newly released billing guidance tied to Deprescribing Services Codes, CMS confirmed that pharmacists can contribute billable time through “incident-to” services provided under physician or non-physician practitioner collaborations. The announcement arrives as Secretary Kennedy undertakes efforts aimed at reducing unnecessary prescribing. For pharmacists already embedded in collaborative care models, this development represents more than billing clarification and signals a growing recognition of the pharmacist’s expanding clinical role in optimizing medication therapy. However, CMS has historically limited the codes pharmacists can bill incident-to physicians and non-physician practitioners, prohibiting service delivery for many patients. As such, AAPP has been collaborating with APhA and ASHP to fix the larger issue to allow pharmacists to submit codes through incident to mechanisms that reflect the complexity of care pharmacists are providing. More recently, we requested an audience with CMS to discuss this latest development in billing opportunities for pharmacists.

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

This study provides key insights into the resource/cost requirements for implementing and sustaining each A.S.K.-PrEP strategy.

Police stop-and-search was associated with elevated subsequent overdose risk among PWUD.

In this trial of healthy adults who co-used cannabis and alcohol, cannabis edibles combined with alcohol augmented driving impairment.

This review identified that ketamine treatment was associated with instances of elevated liver enzymes.

These data indicate a need to identify and disseminate successful hospital-based strategies to increase prescribing of MAUD.

This study calculated frequencies and measures of central tendency.

These results suggest that MOUD access in supportive housing should be expanding, which could require embedding addiction care into PSH teams, leveraging behavioral health touchpoints, and addressing persistent disparities.

This episode examines how pharmacy-based models are closing gaps in addiction care deserts, how pharmacists can strengthen interdisciplinary care teams, and why fair reimbursement for pharmacist services matters for sustaining care in the communities hit hardest by overdose.

Clinicians are rightly expected to disclose their gaps in knowledge or their inability to forecast an outcome. Yet emerging AI tools often cannot, or will not, do the same.

Dr. Joshua Holland, PharmD, BCPP, PLPC, talks about how psychotherapy techniques have advanced and can provide healing and help people meet their psychological needs.

Earn up to 5.5 ACPE contact hours during this on-demand, seven-part educational series! Webinars are immediately accessible. Register and start today!

Parents and caregivers are often the first to notice when something feels different. Changes in mood, sleep, appetite or behavior may signal a young person needs support. #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth #SeeThePerson

The National Institute of Mental Health is an excellent resource for broshures and fact sheets on mental health disorders for patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. Printed materials can even be ordered free of charge!

Findings from this study suggest that restrictive policies on antidepressant prescribing are unlikely to align with public sentiment and may risk exacerbating existing inequities in care.

Practice, practice, practice! The 150-question mock exam lets you test your knowledge, pacing, and endurance before sitting for the BCPP certification exam. #BCPP #AAPP #examprep #psychpharmacy

AAPP's pharmacist toolkit on Xylazine is intended to highlight both the evidence base available as well as strategies of clinical decision making used by expert clinicians.

LGBTQ+ young people who reported living in very accepting communities attempted suicide at less than a third of the rate of those who did not.

Symptom-based dosing decreased time to medical readiness for discharge compared with a scheduled opioid taper approach among infants cared for with ESC.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced efforts to curb psychiatric overprescribing at a MAHA Institute summit on mental health and overmedicalization. Per the press release, “HHS agencies are bringing together their collective expertise and aligning to evaluate prescription patterns for psychiatric medications, their benefits and potential harms, and elevate the role of nonmedication treatments and scalable, evidence-based solutions to improve mental health.” Read on to learn more about AAPP actions.

The Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) is now accepting applications for the 2027 BPS Ambassador Program. Board-certified pharmacists interested can apply until June 12, 2026.

The incidence and risk elevation of incident mental disorders in cancer patients vary based on sex, cancer type, time since diagnosis and type of mental disorder.

Referring patients to behavioral health specialists for CBT and/or prescribing recommended pharmacotherapy with Collaborative Care Management can help to reduce patient morbidity and improve functioning.

The link between specialty-care-only policies and lower diversion and overdose risk is not supported by the reviewed literature.

These data indicate a need to identify and disseminate successful hospital-based strategies to increase prescribing of MAUD.

Actigraphy appears to be a feasible objective tool for sleep assessment in SUDs, though additional studies across diverse substances are needed.

Interactive sVMs can effectively dispense HR items and connect individuals to services, thereby having the potential to improve individual and public health. Contextual factors, such as location, may influence utilization.

Single-item patient-reported outcome measures are pragmatic tools for implementing measurement-based care in substance use treatment.

These results demonstrate substantial missed opportunities for MOUD treatment during pregnancy, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to improve evidence-based perinatal OUD care.

This cross-sectional study found a substantial increase in the percentage of individuals with OUD who received MOUD among almost all states.

Medicaid managed care plans located in Republican-leaning states were less likely to be subject to state requirements governing coverage and prior authorization of SUD treatment medications, with the exception of methadone, and were also less likely to align with requirements when imposed by states.

This SAMHSA advisory outlines evidence-based strategies to integrate physical and behavioral health services, improving outcomes, reducing costs, and enhancing quality of life.

Orphines are 10 times more dangerous than fentanyl and are showing up in street drugs within the US.

This study evaluated the efficacy of semaglutide once-weekly in treatment-seeking patients with alcohol use disorder and comorbid obesity.

This report examines how existing CIC programs operate, funding strategies used to sustain their work and offers insights to help strengthen and expand CIC models nationwide.

Findings of this meta-analysis suggest that ketamine may be considered an off-label treatment for those at risk of suicidal behaviors or those not responding to other treatments for depression.

In this large population based cohort, prenatal exposure to benzodiazepines or Z-hypnotics was not associated with an increased risk of psychiatric disorders in offspring.

AAPP member Farah Khorassani explains her vital role on the care team.

AAPP's newest member profile showcases psychiatric pharmacist impact through low barrier outreach showcasing how pharmacists can deliver medications and  psychiatric and substance use disorder care to underserved individuals.

Mental health conditions are medical conditions and people living with them are more than a diagnosis. This #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth, let’s lead with understanding. Learn more: https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health #SeeThePerson #MHAM2026

If you missed any of the previous Resident Journal Club presentations or would like to revisit a session, recordings are available for you to listen and review at your convenience. Once registered, you can access the recordings, presentations, and article links on the Journal Club page.

Planning to sit for the BCPP exam? We've got resources! #BCPP #AAPP #examprep #psychpharmacy

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug Auvelity this week for the treatment of agitation in adults with Alzheimer's dementia. The extended-release tablet is the first FDA-approved medication for this condition that is not an antipsychotic.

While there has been an increase in funding for and use of AI in health care in recent years, public opinion on AI’s role in providing accurate health information remains mixed.

The findings of this study suggest no increased risk of long term adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes among children with prenatal exposure to buprenorphine versus methadone, further supporting buprenorphine as a safe treatment option for opioid use disorder during pregnancy.

Evidence suggests that the use of nicotine-containing e-cigarettes supports cigarette smoking cessation and reduction among individuals who smoke cigarettes regularly.

AAPP opposes the SAMHSA policy change to prohibit the use of federal funds for the purchase of “fentanyl test strips or any other substance test kits intended for use by people using drugs.” Test strips are an essential component of overdose prevention interventions. Access AAPP’s Policy Statement “The funding and delivery of harm reduction services” to support your advocacy.

AAPP has issued a statement opposing the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) policy change to prohibit the use of federal funds for the purchase of “fentanyl test strips or any other substance test kits, including xylazine and medetomidine test strips, intended for use by people using drugs.” Restricting access to this tool risks reversing progress in overdose prevention at a time when synthetic adulterants continue to drive morbidity and mortality. Evidence supports the importance of clinicians, first responders, and individuals having access to test strips as an essential component of overdose prevention interventions. Access AAPP’s Policy Statement “The funding and delivery of harm reduction services” for further information and to support your own advocacy in this area.

Over a 5-year horizon, the treatment strategy initiating with paliperidone emerged as a favorable LAI option, providing the highest QALY gains at comparable or lower costs than the other LAI-initiating strategies.

In our newest member profile showcasing psychiatric pharmacist impact, learn how Dr. Jacky Parizher works as an outreach pharmacist providing low barrier treatment for opioid use disorder.

This new proceedings of a workshop summarizes emerging scientific insights into brain-body communication pathways, and the implications for therapeutic development, public health, and overall well-being.

I was given the amazing opportunity to co-lead a platform presentation with Dr. Alexa Flood at the RX and Illicit Drug Summit (RX Summit) in Nashville. Through the support of the AAPP Ambassador Program, we were able to present to nearly 700 attendees and lead the second-most attended presentation of the conference. With 4 days of programming and 2165 attendees, we are confident that this impressive attendance allowed us to bring great visibility to this important topic and the psychiatric pharmacist's value as a member of the substance use disorder treatment team.

BPS received a petition to recognize Pharmacogenomics as a BPS specialty certification and has opened the public comment period. The comment period will close on June 3, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET.

Stream this expert-led discussion on the expanding role of digital therapeutics in treating mental health conditions. Watch the recording and stay ahead in this fast-evolving field! Visit the course page to watch the webinar or learn more and register.

Joinpoint regression was used to examine mortality rates for opioid-only, opioids with a stimulant, opioids with benzodiazepines, among racial/gender groups to measure temporal trends in age-adjusted overdose mortality due to polysubstance-related overdose.

In this case series, researchers describe outpatient DTI outcomes.

This series of papers calls on state leaders to refocus on serious mental illness and serious emotional disturbances treatment and recovery and focuses on providing updated information and guidance on SMI and SED and renewing efforts for systems-level changes.

Sometime in your career, you'll have to say no. Read more from Dr. Andrea Beall about how to professionally say "no" while leaving opportunities open for the future.

This paper is part of the Technical Assistance Coalition’s Refocus and Renew: Moving Towards Health series—a 10-paper collection guiding state leaders on SMI and SED treatment, recovery, and whole-person health.

In this cross-sectional study using contemporary data and methods, post-2018 Medicaid expansions were associated with substantial increases in buprenorphine treatment, particularly in high-need states operating under newer prescribing regulations.

A qualitative study of adults aged 65 and older in Southern California found that older medical cannabis users reported frequent and chronic use, widespread self-experimentation due to a lack of clinical guidance, and substitution of cannabis for other medications.

These results indicate the potential of PrR to capture gradual improvements in quality of life and reflect recovery progress.

A survey of U.S. behavioral health agency officials from every state and the District of Columbia.

Alcohol and drug addiction can cause many harms. This Research in Context feature looks at research into the causes of addiction and new ways to treat it.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) expanded its list of prohibited harm reduction services to exclude drug testing strips in new guidance documents. The updated guidance prohibits test kits that can be used to test for the presence of fentanyl or xylazine in drugs, which were explicitly allowed in a July letter. The new guidance also clarifies that federal funding can’t be used to operate overdose hotlines whose primary purpose is “facilitating illicit drugs use by providing people using drugs a virtual or telephonic companion while they are using drugs.”

We were so glad to have the opportunity to recognize our Judith J. Saklad Memorial Award and Early Practitioner Award recipients at #AAPP2026. The next awards cycle starts July 1. Take a look at the available awards and start thinking about who to nominate!

Exams can be daunting. Let us help! Register for the Developing Effective Test-Taking Skills webinar to sharpen your skills. #BCPP #examprep #psychpharmacy #AAPP

It's been just over a week since the 2026 Class of AAPP Fellows was officially installed during #AAPP2026. Let's give this group one more round of applause for an incredible achievement!

This member resource of treatment guidelines includes anxiety and related disorders, bipolar disorder, depression, medication-induced movement disorders, schizophrenia, seizure disorders, sleep-wake disorders, and substance use disorders.

Substance use disorders are highly prevalent among patients with mental health conditions. Troy Moore, Pharm.D., M.S., BCPP shares his experience in the management of substance use disorders within the Veterans Health Administration.

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 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!

Findings highlight the importance of policy and funding mechanisms to ensure the long-term viability of MHUs.