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Mental Health First Aid: Pharmacy

Introduction to Mental Health First Aid: Pharmacy will improve the understanding of the presentation and pervasiveness of mental illness, challenge myths and misconceptions regarding individuals who have a mental illness, and share effective engagement strategies. It will improve the general understanding of the spectrum of interventions and support for individuals with mental illness in our communities and improve the comfort and confidence that a pharmacist and pharmacy technician may have in communicating effectively while being empathetic to their unique needs.

Reviewing the Introduction to Mental Health First Aid: Pharmacy materials or having a difficult conversation with a patient may stir up latent feeling in the provider. Suicide is discussed in this course, which may evoke distressing feelings or emotions in some. This is not unusual, and you should always remember to take care of yourself. If you need assistance, please reach out the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24/7 at 800-273-8255 or the online chat at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/.

Pricing
  • Member Price: $60
  • Nonmember Price: $75
  • If your company or organization is interested in offering this program to your pharmacists or pharmacy technicians, please contact Chris McKerrow.

Learning Objectives & Module Details

Modules and learning objectives

At the completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

Module 1: Introduction to Mental Health First Aid (30 Minutes)
  • Describe "Introduction to Mental Health First Aid: Pharmacy," "Mental Health First Aid," and the role of a Mental Health First Aider.
  • Discuss the prevalence and impact of mental health disorders in the United States.
  • Demonstrate the "Mental Health First Aid Action Plan" and how it fits within the array of interventions available to address mental health problems.
Module 2: Anxiety and Panic Attack (45 Minutes)
  • Identify the signs and symptoms of anxiety and panic attacks.
  • Demonstrate the "Mental Health First Aid Action Plan" for people who may be experiencing anxiety or panic attacks and may be in crisis.
Module 3: Depression and Suicide Prevention (60 Minutes)
  • Identify the signs, symptoms, and warning signs of depression and suicidal ideation.
  • Demonstrate the "Mental Health First Aid Action Plan" for someone who may be experiencing depressive symptoms and may be in crisis, such as suicidal thoughts.
Module 4: Psychosis (45 Minutes)
  • Define psychosis.
  • Describe the types of disorders in which psychosis may occur.
  • Identify symptoms of schizophrenia.
  • Demonstrate the "Mental Health First Aid Action Plan" for people who may be exhibiting symptoms of psychosis or may be in a related crisis.
Module 5: Substance Use Disorders (60 Minutes)
  • Identify risk factors and warning signs of substance use disorder.
  • Demonstrate the "Mental Health First Aid Action Plan" for people who may be exhibiting symptoms of a substance use disorder or a related crisis.

How to Obtain a Certificate of Completion

Complete all learning activities and exercises.

  • Complete the program assessment and evaluation. Participants must achieve a passing score of 70% or better on the assessment for successful completion.
  • Credit must be claimed in order to obtain credit.
  • Credit must be claimed in order to obtain credit.
  • Participants will need to have a valid APhA (pharmacist.com) username and password, as well as a CPE Monitor account to claim credit. After credit has been claimed, please visit CPE Monitor for your transcript.
  • APhA continuing pharmacy education policy provides you with two opportunities to successfully complete a continuing pharmacy education assessment. Please note that you will not be permitted to submit an assessment a third time. The current policy of the APhA Education Department is not to release the correct answers to any of our CPE tests. This is intended to maintain the integrity of the CPE activity and the assessment.
Accreditation Information
  • Target Audience: Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians
  • CEUs: 0.4–4 contact hours of CPE credit
  • ACPE UAN(s): 0202-0000-22-186-H99-P, 0202-0000-22-186-H99-T
  • Activity Type: Knowledge-based
  • Initial Release Date: September 1, 2022
  • Expiration Date: September 30, 2026 – No credit can be earned after this date.

Introduction to Mental Health First Aid: Pharmacy is an education activity for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians developed in partnership by The National Council for Behavioral Health and the American Pharmacists Association. © 2022 American Pharmacists Association.
All individuals involved in the development of this material declare no conflicts of interest or financial interests in any product or service mentioned in this activity, including grants, employment, gifts, stock holdings, and honoraria. For complete APhA staff disclosures, please see the Education and Accreditation Information section at aphanet.pharmacist.com/apha-disclosures.

Technology Requirements and Tips

Computer and Internet access are required to complete this activity. If you experience technical difficulties, try a different web browser.

Please be aware that if the system detects no activity for an extended amount of time while the screen is open in the interactive activity, the Next button may freeze, and you will need to restart that activity again.

The recommendation is that if you cannot complete the activity within one sitting and need to step away, close the activity so that your place is bookmarked.

If you continue to experience difficulties, please reach out to education@aphanet.org with the name of the course, details of your experience, web browser(s) used, and, if possible, screenshots.

Faculty

Course Authors:

Kelly Gable, PharmD, BCPP

Professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice
Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
Edwardsville, IL

Jerry McKee, PharmD, MS, BCPP

Director of Pharmacy
Community Care of North Carolina
Raleigh, NC