By Marija Kelber, Ph.D.
Feb. 3, 2021

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The Psychological Health Center of Excellence has prepared four continuing education activities for providers who like to keep up to date on the evidence regarding mental health interventions. Each CE self-study provides a brief summary of systematic reviews conducted by the RAND Corporation.

Researchers sift through hundreds or more studies to conduct systematic reviews of evidence. These reviews can be useful tools for busy clinicians or policymakers interested in quick, yet comprehensive summaries of the evidence.

By completing these CE activities, providers will learn if medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder has an adverse effect on functional outcomes, such as employment, cognitive functioning, aggression, and others. Providers who work with clients with comorbid alcohol use and depressive disorder will gain insight into the most effective interventions for management of these conditions. One of the studies will discuss whether any treatments for alcohol use disorder are more effective for men versus women. The studies will also inform policymakers interested in a wide-spread implementation of these interventions. Policymakers may also benefit from learning about the interventions to increase the use of evidence-based treatments for depression.

Each study lists research gaps that were identified in the systematic reviews. For example, the systematic reviews found that more research is needed to evaluate the effects of medication-assisted treatment on aggression and cognitive functioning and that very few studies examine gender differences in efficacy of interventions for alcohol use disorder. Funding agencies and researchers interested in identifying important topics for future research may be interested in learning more about these gaps.

This CE education activity is managed and accredited by the Defense Health Agency J7 Continuing Education Program Office and can be accessed on the CEPO website.

For more information on these and other systematic reviews conducted or sponsored by PHCoE, visit our website.

Dr. Kelber is a contracted health research methodologist at the Psychological Health Center of Excellence. She has a doctorate in social psychology and has conducted research on emotions and group dynamics as predictors of ethnic conflict, intergroup aggression, and gang violence.