From Antipsychotics to Z-drugs, Clinical Track Has You Covered

The top-rated Clinical Updates Track at this year’s Annual Meeting will feature 18 sessions on the most relevant, provocative topics, presented by some of the leading minds in psychiatry.

When putting the session list together, track chair Ron Winchel, M.D., said that one motivation was to choose topics that address the problems that cause anxiety for clinicians and keep them up at night. “The aim…is not just to transfer to the audience the data and the real science they need—factual education is very important—but also to help psychiatrists sort through the dilemmas that come with clinical practice, to equip them to have these nuanced conversations with patients,” said Winchel, who is an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University.

Here are some of the clinical sessions that Winchel is most excited about (all sessions below take place in Petree Hall D and are available to virtual attendees):

Sleep: From Childhood to Aging: Winchel is especially excited about this new session. “What does normal sleep look like in childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood? And how does our sleep quality deteriorate as we get older, and what can be done about it? ... It is becoming clear that poor sleep as we age may be a key—and potentially modifiable—risk factor for Alzheimer’s,” he said. Saturday, May 17, 3:45 – 5:15 p.m. PT

Benzodiazepines and Other Sedative-Hypnotics: Help or Harm?: “Few psychotropic medications elicit the intense debate and strong opinions as do benzodiazepines. The decision to start or withhold, to continue or to withdraw, is often fraught with physician anxiety that rivals that which we are seeking to treat,” Winchel said. “Yet it cannot be disputed that these medications are often extremely effective when others fail.” Sunday, May 18, 8 – 9:30 a.m. PT

Psychedelics: The Hype, The Hope, The Harm: “Many patients are coming to our offices saying they want to start ketamine infusions, or are already microdosing psilocybin, or asking about MDMA,” Winchel said. This dynamic presentation will provide state-of-the-art evidence about these drugs and provide a framework for tackling such tricky topics with patients. Sunday, May 18, 3:45 – 5:15 p.m. PT

Atypical Antipsychotics in Mood and Other Disorders: Are We Too Quick on the Draw?: In a sure-to-be lively panel discussion, clinicians will hear the best evidence on when to use—and when to withdraw—atypical antipsychotics when treating mood and other disorders. “Some of the questions we will address do not have definitive science to guide us. … Complicating the issue, there is lack of agreement among various treatment algorithms,” Winchel said. Tuesday, May 18, 3:45 – 5:15 p.m. PT

Cannabis Use: Conversations With Patients: “Patients are saying, ‘You know, Doc, I’ve got THC gummies. It’s legal.’ … ‘Is it true, Doc, that pot is good for sleep?’ Or, ‘How much am I harming my brain with my daily marijuana use?’” Winchel said. However, there is tremendous variability in these unregulated products and very little data to help guide clinicians. Wednesday, May 21, 10:30 a.m. – noon PT

Learn more about all the 2025 Clinical Updates Track here. ■

(Image: Getty Images/iStock/piola666)