Treating the Whole Patient One-Day Conference — Explore the Collaborative Approach to Diagnosing and Treating Comorbid Mental Health and Physical Conditions

JERSEY CITY, N.J., July 6 /PRNewswire/ -- CME LLC announces Treating the Whole Patient: The Mind-Body Connection in Psychiatric Disorders, a one-day educational conference for professionals to be held on August 14, 2010, at The Island Hotel in Newport Beach, California. Leading mental health experts Rakesh Jain, MD, MPH, Jon W. Draud, MD, MS, Vladimir Maletic, MD, and Charles Raison, MD will review the most recent developments concerning the relationship between mental and physical health conditions and explore the concept of Wellness.

"Treating the Whole Patient is a new way of translating psychiatric problems to help clinicians understand their patients' physical problems," Jain said. "Clinicians will learn techniques to look at disease states from different levels of observation, including physical signs and symptoms, social behaviors as well as their biological underpinnings."

Treating the Whole Patient moves beyond a one-dimensional approach to therapy — of treating only the mind or only the body — by incorporating the role of the mind-body connection when diagnosing, treating, and managing patients with psychiatric disorders. Following a very successful pre-conference workshop at the 2009 U.S. Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress in Las Vegas, CME LLC has expanded this initiative to include live meetings as well as a robust online discussion forum on this multi-dimensional approach to patient care and Wellness (http://www.cmellc.com/psychiatry/twp). At the upcoming conference, the expert panel will discuss and present evidence-based data and practical strategies for how to incorporate Wellness into patient care, optimized medication management, meditation, social connectedness, and exercise.    

The expert panel will discuss the underlying pathology of the interdependency between psychiatric and physical disorders. Clinicians attending Treating the Whole Patient will obtain a broader perspective that allows for a more accurate, quicker response, and gain a better understanding of how to create an individualized treatment plan for each patient with the ultimate goal of achieving Wellness through a collaborative care approach.

"The Treating the Whole Patient conference is designed to be a co-learning experience, laying the groundwork for psychiatric and primary care clinicians to work collaboratively in the interest of providing optimal patient care," said Charles Raison, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Director, Behavioral Immunity Clinic, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.

"CME LLC is committed to providing innovative, clinically relevant education to the healthcare community," said Ann Marie DeMatteo, Senior Vice President and General Manager of CME LLC. "Treating the Whole Patient is a comprehensive educational concept that fills a critical gap in knowledge of the mind-body perspective and the collaborative care approach to overall wellness. We are pleased that the Treating the Whole Patient concept is of great interest to our audience and look forward to expanding this initiative to the one-day conference in Newport Beach, CA. We will continue to provide education that promotes an individualized approach to healthcare management, improves care, enhances patient outcomes, and encourages collaboration," added DeMatteo.  

Expert Panel:

Rakesh Jain, MD, MPH

Director of Psychiatric Drug Research R/D Clinical Research Center, Lake Jackson, TX

Jon W. Draud, MS, MD

Medical Director of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine Services at Baptist Hospital, Nashville, TN, and Middle Tennessee Medical Center, Murfreesboro, TN.

Vladimir Maletic, MD, MS

Clinical Professor of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC; Consulting Associate, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Duke University, Durham, NC

Charles Raison, MD*

Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Director, Behavioral Immunity Clinic, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.

About CME LLC

CME LLC is a leading provider of innovative, evidence-based and clinically relevant continuing medical education programs. CME LLC offers a wide range of live events, print publications, innovative webcasts, and online symposia — all designed to improve patient care. Healthcare professionals in psychiatry, psychology, oncology, primary care, nursing and other specialty areas benefit from CME LLC's variety of informational and educational resources. Based in Jersey City, N.J., CME LLC is accredited by the ACCME and other organizations. For more information, visit www.CMELLC.com.

* Dr. Raison is paid by CME LLC to provide/present this information. The opinions expressed are those of Dr. Raison/CME LLC and do not necessarily reflect the views of Emory University or Emory Healthcare. Dr. Raison's participation in this activity does not constitute or imply endorsement by Emory University or Emory Healthcare.

SOURCE CME LLC