Primary Care Behavioral Health

Curriculum

Workshop 4: Behavioral Health Care for Chronic Illnesses, Care Management and An Overview of Psychotropic Medication in Primary Care

Faculty: Christine Runyan, PhD, and Kathryn Lee, MD (Fall) and Marie Caggiano, MD (Spring) 

Chronic Illnesses Across the Lifespan (3 hours)

• Symptoms, mechanisms and treatments of:

Asthma
Diabetes
Heart disease
Irritable bowel syndrome

• Behavioral health needs and mental health co-morbidities for each illness
• Behavioral treatments in evidence based protocols for chronic illnesses
• Group medical visits

Goal: Able to describe an evidence-based biopsychosocial approach for chronic illnesses in primary care.

Building a Care Management Program in Primary Care (2 hours)

• Adults: The chronic illness care movement
• Organizing a care management program
• Enlisting physicians in screening
• Multi-illness screens, informal screens, PHQ-9, QIDS, SF – 12 & 36, the Duke
• Decision-tree for determining next steps after screening
• Developing a database and reminder system for patients
• Making patient education part of the program

Goal: To be knowledgeable about adult screening instruments and able to discuss its use with physicians and patients.

Goal: To be able to begin a care management program in primary care.

Psychotropic Medication Overview (1 hour)

• Getting past the either-or of meds vs. therapy
• BHP role in assessing side effects and communicating with prescriber
• Talking with adults about medication
• Common medications used in adult primary care, indications, actions and side effects
• The necessary role of psychiatry in primary care: consultation and treatment

Goals: To knowledgeably discuss common psychotropic medications with a patient, including indications, effects and side effects. Able to appropriately recommend initiating medication to a primary care physician.