Increasing access to psychiatric care during the COVID-19 pandemic through mental health clinical pharmacy specialist services.

Introduction: Higher rates of mental health conditions, increased incidence of psychiatric diagnoses, and symptom relapse with minimal access to psychotherapeutic services are reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. A local area clinic in the United States that exists to serve underprivileged patients helps to combat poor psychiatric outcomes by offering psychiatric clinics, pharmacotherapy management, and medications at reduced or no cost.

Methods: Recruitment and data collection were conducted from May 3, 2021, to March 3, 2022.

Evaluating the perceptions of a required didactic Mental Health First Aid training course among first-year pharmacy students.

Background And Purpose: Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training was designed to help participants identify mental health challenges and provide support to those in need. The objective of this study was to evaluate the perceptions of a required first-year didactic MHFA course and to determine if MHFA reduces stigma and increases confidence in first-year pharmacy students' abilities to offer help to those experiencing a mental health challenge or a crisis.

Educational Activity And Setting: Participants were first-year doctor of pharmacy students at a single site in the United States.

Early detection of an atypical presentation of neuroleptic malignant syndrome: A case report.

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS), which is considered a neurologic emergency, is believed to be caused by exposure to dopamine antagonist or withdrawal from a dopamine agonist. This article reports a case of suspected atypical NMS in a patient following rapid conversion of ziprasidone to risperidone without titration. While the initial presentation did not fully meet the , 5th edition, diagnostic features, a sequential treatment strategy was initiated and the patient appropriately responded to antipsychotic cessation in addition to combination therapy with dantrolene and bromocriptine.