Depression in Focus: Addressing Residual Symptoms for Functional Recovery
Released On
September 2, 2025
Expires On
September 2, 2026
Media Type
Internet
Completion Time
60 minutes
Specialty
Hospitalist, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Primary Care, Psychiatry
Topic(s)
Depression, Major Depression, Mental Health, Mood Disorders
Provider Statement
This activity is jointly provided by Partners for Advancing Clinical Education (Partners) and CMEology.
This activity is supported by an independent education grant from Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
Credit Available
- Physicians — maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
- Nurses — 1.0 Nursing Contact Hour
All other healthcare professionals completing this course will be issued a statement of participation.
Target Audience
This activity is designed for advanced practice psychiatric nurses, psychiatrists, and other mental health care professionals who care for patients with major depressive disorder.
Program Overview
In major depressive disorder (MDD) care, starting treatment isn’t the finish line: it’s the first critical choice on a long road to healing. For many patients, relief from the most severe symptoms gives way to quieter, persistent struggles. Emotional blunting, cognitive dysfunction, and sleep disturbances often go unspoken and unaddressed, gradually eroding functionality, relationships, and quality of life. Psychiatric nurses are often the first to hear when something still feels “off,” even after a depressive episode appears to have lifted. Yet challenges remain in recognizing and distinguishing residual symptoms from medication side effects, knowing when to adjust treatment, and approaching these conversations in a way that honors patients’ preferences and needs. These challenges are magnified in minority and underserved communities, where disparities in access, communication, and cultural understanding further compromise care. This case-based activity brings the clinical and emotional complexity of MDD to life through illustrated comic panels and patient scenarios. Brooke Kempf, PMHNP-BC and George Papakostas, MD will use the stories of 2 patients to explore how to assess antidepressant benefit-risk profiles, manage residual symptoms, and provide culturally responsive care that supports full, equitable recovery.
Learning Goal/Purpose
The goal of this activity is to equip learners with practical strategies to personalize antidepressant treatment based on benefit-risk profiles, recognize and manage residual symptoms of MDD, and apply culturally responsive approaches to reduce disparities in care for minority and underserved populations.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be better able to:
- Formulate personalized MDD treatment plans by assessing the benefit-risk profiles of pharmacological options while considering individual patient characteristics and clinical presentation.
- Apply evidence-based interventions to detect and manage residual symptoms in patients with MDD.
- Integrate strategies to address disparities in MDD care for minority and underserved populations.
Faculty
Brooke Kempf, MSN, PMHNP-BC
Adjunct Faculty
Indiana University Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
George Papakostas, MD
Associate Executive Director
Clinical Trials Network and Institute
Department of Psychiatry
Massachusetts General Hospital
Professor of Psychiatry
Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts
Accreditation Statement
In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Partners for Advancing Clinical Education (Partners) and CMEology. Partners is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the health care team.
Credit Designation
Physician Credit
Partners for Advancing Clinical Education designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Nursing Continuing Professional Development
The maximum number of hours awarded for this Nursing Continuing Professional Development activity is 1.0 contact hour. Designated for 0.25 contact hour of pharmacotherapy credit for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses.
Disclosures of Conflicts of Interest
Partners for Advancing Clinical Education (Partners) requires every individual in a position to control educational content to disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies that have occurred within the past 24 months. Ineligible companies are organizations whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.
All relevant financial relationships for anyone with the ability to control the content of this educational activity are listed below and have been mitigated according to Partners policies. Others involved in the planning of this activity have no relevant financial relationships.
Brooke Kempf, PMHNP-BC
Consultant/Advisor/ Speakers’ Bureau for Alkermes, Axsome Therapeutics, Bristol Myers Squibb, Intra-Cellular Therapies Inc., Janssen/ Johnson & Johnson, Luye Pharma Group, and Teva Pharmaceuticals.
George Papakostas, MD
Grant/Research Support for Beckley Psytech, Johnson & Johnson Companies, and XWPharma.
Consultant for Autobahn Therapeutics, Boehringer Ingelheim, Enveric Biosciences, Healis Therapeutics, Johnson & Johnson Companies, LivaNova, and XWPharma.
Expert Witness for Johnson & Johnson Companies and Pharmactive Biotech Products.
Honoraria for AbbVie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Johnson & Johnson Companies, LivaNova, Pharmactive Biotech Products, and Torrent Pharmaceuticals.
Partners’ content reviewers have no relationships to disclose.
CMEology planners have no relationships to disclose.
Instructions for Participation and Credit
There are no fees for participating and receiving NCPD/CME credit for this enduring activity. To receive NCPD/CME credit participants must:
- Read the NCPD/CME information and faculty disclosures.
- Participate in the online activity.
- Submit the evaluation form.
Certificates will be immediately available for download to the participant.
Course Viewing Requirements
Supported Browsers:
Internet Explorer 8.0+ for Windows 2003, Vista, XP, Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and above
Google Chrome 28.0+ for Windows, Mac OS, or Linux
Mozilla Firefox 23.0+ for Windows, Mac OS, or Linux
Safari 6.0+ for Mac OSX 10.7 and above
Supported Phones & Tablets:
Android 4.0.3 and above
iPhone/iPad with iOS 6.1 or above
Disclosure of Unlabeled Use/Disclaimer
This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the US Food and Drug Administration. The planners of this activity do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications.
The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of the planners. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.
Disclaimer
Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patient’s conditions and possible contraindications and/or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.
Contact Information
For information about the accreditation of this program, please contact: [email protected].