This evidenced based state of the art course focuses on the latest medical and non-medical approaches and interventions for patients with ADHD, Aggression, the Addictions, Social Disorders, Pain, Sleep Disorders, Anxiety, Mood Disorders and issues related to COVID- 19. We will begin with a brief look at COVID- 19 and how exercise and high states of fitness and well-being protect against the severity of the infection. There is a special section on autism, based on new research and the instructor’s experience with disruptive adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The course will explore the results of an ongoing study of balance and coordination training on autistic adolescents and its effect on behavior and social skills. The course will also address the uses and dangers of medical marijuana and look at the growing evidence of the clinical usefulness of Cannabidiol, (also known as CBD) the non-psychoactive phytochemical of the hemp plant. The ground breaking work of using CBD to treat seizures and behaviors in this population will be studied. In addition to new medications, the course will explore the proven effects of exercise, yoga, play, diet, and other alternative strategies that are shown to be effective in these psychiatric problems. Special emphasis will be placed on the burgeoning research on exercise and ADHD, with tips on how to integrate exercise prescriptions into your practice. The course will also do a deep dive into the Default Mode Network and how its troubled connectivity within the brain explains ADHD, Autism, and other psychiatric diagnoses better than most models and can point to rational treatments. The course will review the effects of sleep, being in nature, and, movement on brain health in general and specifically with ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder. It will review the latest information on the amount and type of movement necessary to attain and maintain optimal brain function. In addition, the course looks at the growing awareness of the “microbiome” when it comes to diet, and the effect of gluten and probiotics on the gut and brain/behavior connection will be emphasized. We will follow the latest studies showing the possible link of the microbiome and Parkinson’s disease. To put it all together, the course takes an understandable journey into the brain and the synapse to fully learn about these conditions. The important area of diagnosis will also be looked at, covering the controversies and challenges associated with making the right call with psychological disorders: 1. Bipolar or ADHD or both and what this means for treatment; 2. Asperger’s or Autism or Social Dyslexia – does it matter and are there any relevant medications and behavioral interventions for these developmental differences; 3. Relevancies of DSM-5 to the real world and the issue of sub-threshold diagnoses or the “Shadow Syndromes.

Hosted by the Continuing Education Program at BIDMC, a major teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School online for 15 CEs. For more info, visit Harvard Medical School's website.