Psychiatry and Mental Health

AANP Resources by Therapeutic Area

Continuing Education Courses

The AANP CE Center offers a wide variety of continuing education (CE) activities for nurse practitioners (NPs). Members of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP) get more, including access to many free activities and significantly discounted rates on others. The AANP CE Center hosts several CE activities covering multiple aspects of psychiatry and mental health.

Visit the AANP CE Center

JAANP Resource Center

Find evidence-based articles, up-to-date guidelines and other resources about mental health, psychology and psychiatry at this resource center, brought to you by the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (JAANP).

Visit the JAANP Resource Center

NP Tools and Resources

AANP-Developed Resources to Support NPs in Treating Your Patients

• Practice Brief: Practice Parameter for the Assessment and Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder.
• Practice Brief: Primary Care Diagnosis and Management of Adults With Depression.

3 Minutes Make a Difference — Evidence-Based Strategies for Shared Decision-Making in Clinical Practice

Learn how just three minutes of meaningful dialogue can strengthen trust, improve outcomes and support patient-centered care. Empower your patients to make informed, evidence-based choices through shared decision-making (SDM). This infographic highlights key SDM principles such as choice awareness, values clarification and partnership building — and provides practical communication models like the Three-Talk Model, Ask-Tell-Ask and the 5A’s Framework.

Access the Tool

Major Depressive Disorder Video

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common mental disorders diagnosed in the U.S., with an estimated 16% of adults experiencing MDD at some point during their lifetime. According to the American Medical Association, chronic depression is often untreated and, on average, patients with depression receive the recommended quality of care only 58% of the time. This video shows a psychiatric mental health NP (PMHNP) interviewing a simulated patient with MDD. The PMHNP and patient actor work through screening and diagnosis, use of PHQ9 results to develop a treatment plan and follow-up while demonstrating motivational interviewing techniques.

Recovery in Focus: How NPs Support Patients on Their Journey

Patient Education Tools and Resources

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder affects more than 40 million people worldwide and is characterized by fluctuations in mood, thought, energy, behavior and social functioning. This clinical reference tool is intended for clinicians and patients as a succinct guide of the signs and symptoms — as well as guideline based treatments — for bipolar disorder.

• Access the Tool.
• Access the Tool (Spanish).

This activity is supported by an independent educational grant from Alkermes.

Breaking the Cycle of Opioid Use Disorder

This handout is designed to support NPs working with patients who will or currently are receiving treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD). During shared clinical decision-making, the tool can guide the patient education on how the medications are used to treat OUD work and their common side effects. This handout provides a way for patients to take an active role in their recovery by utilizing journaling of their treatment goals, triggers and positive coping skills.

• Patient Handout.

This activity is supported by Indivor Inc.

AANP Community

Engage, Learn, Network and Progress Practice in Psych and Mental Health

The Psych and Mental Health Specialty Practice Group (SPG) offers a unique opportunity to interactively collaborate with colleagues who share an interest or clinical expertise in mental health. As an SPG member, you’ll have access to a cutting-edge, online forum where you can engage in discussions, document sharing and knowledge exchange with fellow NPs. Come learn, share and help progress the development of theory and practice in mental health.

Join the Psych Mental Health SPG

Psych Mental Health SPG Members Login

External Resources

Conveniently Curated Information From Other Top Sources

There are many resources available for both patients and providers. Some are listed below for your convenience. The inclusion of these links does not imply AANP endorsement.

• Geriatric Depression Screener Long Form.
• Geriatric Depression Screener Short Form.
• National Institute on Drug Abuse.
• Second-generation Antidepressants: Comparative Effectiveness.
• The Joint Clinical Practice Guideline on Benzodiazepine Tapering: Considerations When Benzodiazepine Risks Outweigh Benefits.