About The Course
This course led by Dr. Jonathan Meyer explores lithium use in mood disorders, focusing on its benefits in reducing suicide risk, neuroprotective effects, and managing polyuria. Participants will gain essential knowledge on monitoring treatment, managing drug-drug interactions, and understanding lithium’s renal impact. Designed for mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, GPs, and allied health professionals, this course offers practical insights to optimize patient care and outcomes in lithium therapy.
Who Is This Course For?
This course is suitable for:
- Psychiatrists
- General Practitioners (GPs)
- Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (MHNPs)
- Psychologists
- Mental health professionals
- Clinicians working in or expanding into psychiatry and mental health care
Accreditation Information:
- Psychiatry Accreditation: This course is available for self-accreditation with the RANZCP and other relevant psychiatric and mental health organisations.
- GP Accreditation: This course is available for self-accreditation with RACGP for general practitioners.
What You'll Learn
Dr. Meyer’s presentation will provide an update on:
- The limitations of antipsychotics for bipolar I maintenance, and how to use lithium during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
- The evidence supporting the unique benefits of lithium on risk for completed suicide, and its neuroprotective effects.
- Renal journey of lithium, its ENaC affinity, polyuria pathophysiology, and how to monitor for and manage polyuria.
- How to safely monitor lithium treatment and manage drug-drug interactions impacting lithium clearance.
Course Programme
1 Unit | 11 Modules | 1.5 hours total length
- Lithium's Historical and Clinical Significance
- Lithium's Role in Mood Stabilization
- Valproate's Reproductive Harms and Lithium's Renal Adverse Effects
- Lithium's Neuroprotective Benefits and Renal Function
- Optimizing Lithium Dosing and Monitoring
- Managing Lithium's Renal Adverse Effects
- Practical Strategies for Managing Lithium's Side Effects
- Challenges and Monitoring in Lithium Therapy
- Patient Communication and Lithium Benefits
- Adjusting Lithium Dosage and Side Effects
- Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Course Description
Clinical Application of Lithium Therapy in Mood Disorders
Lithium remains a cornerstone in the treatment of mood disorders, offering significant benefits for long-term stability. However, effective lithium use in mood disorders require careful dosing, monitoring, and management of potential side effects. This course led by Dr. Jonathan Meyer provides a structured, practical approach to lithium use and mood disorders, focusing on its clinical applications, safety considerations, and strategies to optimize patient outcomes.
Designed for mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, general practitioners, and allied health professionals, this course provides actionable insights to enhance clinical outcomes in lithium therapy. Upon completion, participants will receive a course completion certificate and 1.5 CPD hours towards educational activities.
Some of the modules discussed in the course include:
- Lithium’s Role in Mood Stabilization – Understand how lithium modulates neurotransmission to stabilize mood in bipolar disorder and related conditions.
- Valproate’s Reproductive Harms and Lithium’s Renal Adverse Effects – Compare lithium’s renal risks with valproate’s reproductive side effects and assess implications for clinical practice.
- Lithium’s Neuroprotective Benefits and Renal Function – Explore lithium’s neuroprotective effects and long-term impact on renal health.
- Optimizing Lithium Dosing and Monitoring – Learn best practices for initiating and adjusting lithium therapy while minimizing toxicity risks.
- Managing Lithium’s Renal Adverse Effects – Identify early signs of renal dysfunction and explore strategies for renal protection.
- Practical Strategies for Managing Lithium’s Side Effects – Address common side effects such as tremors, weight gain, and cognitive changes.
- Challenges and Monitoring in Lithium Therapy – Recognize challenges in lithium use and mood disorders and implement systematic monitoring protocols.
- Patient Communication and Lithium Benefits – Enhance patient adherence by explaining the benefits and risks of lithium use and mood disorder treatments clearly.
- Adjusting Lithium Dosage and Side Effects – Learn how to modify dosages based on patient response, kidney function, and overall tolerability of lithium use in mood disorders.
By the end of this course, participants will be equipped with practical tools to enhance patient safety, manage lithium side effects effectively, and apply best practices in real-world settings.
This course is available in a video and audio format.
Enrol now and enhance your understanding of lithium use in mood disorders to improve patient care and outcomes!
While our Academy members enjoy exclusive access to a range of courses and webinars (including this course) with their annual membership, we’re pleased to offer you the opportunity to purchase it individually! Click here – Lithium in Clinical Practice: Advanced Mood Stabilisation Training for Psychiatrists.
Related Courses
- CANMAT Guidelines for the Treatment of Bipolar Disorder with Prof Michael Berk – Explore the 2023 CANMAT Guidelines for Bipolar Disorder with Professor Michael Berk. Gain key insights into acute management, maintenance therapy, and Bipolar II disorder in this expert-led course.
Focused on lithium’s benefits, Dr Meyer provides essential insights into its role in bipolar I management, safe monitoring, and treatment of polyuria, designed for psychiatrists, GPs, and allied health professionals.
Course Information
- 1.5 hours
- 1.5 CPD
Inclusions
- 1.5 Hours of Video Lecture
- Course Completion Certificate
Material Downloads
- certificate
Instructors
Dr. Jonathan Meyer Guest Speaker
Dr. Jonathan Meyer is a Voluntary Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, and a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. Dr. Meyer is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School, finished his adult psychiatry residency at LA County-USC Medical Center and completed fellowships there in Consultation/Liaison Psychiatry and Psychopharmacology Research. Dr Meyer has teaching duties at UC San Diego and the Balboa Naval Medical Center and is a psychopharmacology consultant to the first episode psychosis program at Balboa NMC, and to the 7000-bed state hospital system in California.
Dr. Meyer has lectured and published extensively on psychopharmacology and is the sole author of the chapter on the Pharmacotherapy of Psychosis and Mania for the last 3 editions of Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics. Along with Dr. Stephen Stahl, he is co-author of the Clozapine Handbook published in 2019, The Clinical Use of Antipsychotic Plasma Levels released in 2021, and The Lithium Handbook published in 2023, all three by Cambridge University Press.
Dr. Sanil Rege Host - MBBS, MRCPsych, FRANZCP
With extensive teaching experience through psychiatry education initiatives, Sanil is recognized as a motivational training facilitator and educator who promotes insightful collaboration and discussion
As the Academic Lead of Psych Scene and Chief Editor of Psych Scene Hub, he aspires to make a difference in mental health by empowering Healthcare Professionals to advance their skills and career through the provision of specialised education and training
Sanil is also founder of Vita Healthcare, a private clinic in Mount Eliza specialising in adult mental healthcare, with over 20 years of clinical experience and 13 years of private practice experience treating disorders across the spectrum. He currently works in the community, across in-patient, consultation-liaison and addiction psychiatry spaces.
