A Spotlight on Integrating Contraceptive Care in Psychiatry at AAPP 2024

The AAPP Annual Meeting typically hosts presentations on topics related to psychiatric pharmacotherapy. Expert speakers are often BCPPs, psychiatrists, or advanced psychiatric providers. This year’s session on Contraceptive Care in Psychiatry was unique in that it provided members education on a non-psychiatric topic that is nonetheless frequently encountered in psychiatric practice environments. Given patients with mental illness often face barriers in accessing multiple treatment services, psychiatric pharmacists need to be knowledgeable on how to initiate contraception for patients and/or engage in discussions with patients and prescribers on how to confidently determine the optimal contraceptive option based on an individual’s treatment goals. Familiarity with the advantages and drawbacks of different contraceptive methods enables pharmacists to consider multiple factors when choosing the most suitable options for patients with psychiatric conditions.