Induced Super Sensitivity Psychosis and Its Management (2 CE)

Number of Credits: 2

This course is for:  Clinical Psychologists, Counselors, and Nurses

Course By: Tim Grigsby, PhD

Content By: Chouinard, G., Samaha, A. N., Chouinard, V. A., Peretti, C. S., Kanahara, N., Takase, M., & Iyo, M. (2017). Antipsychotic-induced dopamine supersensitivity psychosis: Pharmacology, criteria, and therapy. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 86(4), 189-219.

Course Description: Anti-psychotic drugs remain the most efficacious treatment option for individuals experiencing psychotic disorders. However, the long-term administration of anti-psychotic medications can lead to alterations in dopamine systems leading to supersensitivity psychosis as has been evidenced in animal and human models. The researchers review the pharmacological antecedents of supersensitivity psychosis, establish criteria for understanding withdrawal patterns, and discuss alternative treatment strategies to reduce the risk of supersensitivity psychosis. More randomized clinical trials with large samples are needed to further understand supersensitivity psychosis and its remediation.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the risk factors for supersensitivity psychosis
2. Distinguish between the 3 types of withdrawal and their relationship to relapse risk
3. List 4 alternative treatment options to reduce the likelihood of supersensitivity psychosis
4. Discuss two major limitations of existing work on the causes and prevention of supersensitivity psychosis

Course Outline:

• Read and understand Antipsychotic-induced dopamine supersensitivity psychosis: Pharmacology, criteria, and therapy
• Review the Course Description and Learning Objectives
• Reflect on the causes and alternative strategies to prevent supersensitivity psychosis
• Work through the post-test questions; keep in mind that answer selections should be derived from the respective article
• Return to the referenced article for any missed questions and/or to better understand how to identify and reduce the risk of supersensitivity psychosis

Implicit biases incorporate an association that occurs outside of conscious awareness that may resultantly lead to a negative patient evaluation derived from irrelevant characteristics; i.e. gender and/or race. A systematic review of the literature was conducted. Thirty-five studies identified the existence of implicit bias in healthcare professionals; all correlational studies evidenced a significant positive relationship between implicit bias levels and lower quality of care (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017). Continued research in health care settings, combined with greater method homogeneity, should be employed to examine the occurrence and prevalence of implicit biases in healthcare settings as a strategic approach for mitigating related disparities (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017).

Reference

FitzGerald, C., Hurst, S. (2017). Implicit bias in healthcare professionals: A systematic review. BMC Med Ethics 18, 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-017-0179-8

Approvals: