CMR Institute | Education for Pharmaceutical Representatives, Biotech, & Medical Device Industries

Psychiatric Disorders and Their Treatment

This course introduces you to the concepts behind Freud’s psychoanalytic theory and the major types of psychotherapy that modern therapists use—psychodynamic psychotherapy, cognitive therapy, behavioral therapy (often combined with cognitive therapy and referred to as cognitive-behavioral therapy; CBT), and humanistic psychotherapy. The course outlines the major categories of psychiatric disorders and examines important drug classes used to treat these disorders. Several selected disorders are explored in more depth relative to their etiology, symptoms, diagnostic information, and approaches used in treatment.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to discuss modern forms of psychotherapy, with an understanding of their roots in Freud’s psychoanalytic theory; explain the role of pharmacology and specific disorders; and develop deeper knowledge of several common psychiatric disorders.

Who Should Take This Course

Sales representatives, managers, and others who interact with healthcare providers, including primary care physicians, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals who treat psychiatric disorders, and those who would benefit from a knowledge of psychiatric disorders and their treatment.

Career Applications/Benefits

Each year, millions of Americans are affected by psychiatric disorders. These disorders cause personal hardship and also impose considerable burdens on families and society as a whole. However, advances in the study of psychiatric disorders allow mental health and other healthcare professionals to prevent and treat these disorders successfully in many cases. This course will benefit those working for pharmaceutical companies that develop or market products targeted toward psychiatric disorders. Information provided in this course will allow individuals to discuss key features and benefits of pharmaceutical therapies with psychiatrists, pharmacists, and others who specialize in the treatment of patients with psychiatric disorders. Primary care physicians are playing a greater role in the diagnosis and treatment of certain psychiatric disorders and often will require information on available pharmaceutical therapies. In addition, as pharmaceutical agents used to treat these disorders often have adverse effects on other systems of the body, this course may also have relevance for those whose products can be used to treat these adverse effects.