Contraception and Mood: Understanding the Connection

This course is for social workers, mental health counselors, medical providers, nurses, prescribers and others who work with girls and women at any stage of the lifespan.

This course is intended to clarify the participant’s ability to identify, diagnose and treat women considering hormonal birth control appropriate to their scope of practice.

Specific topics covered:

• The most common contraceptive methods, how they work, their efficacy, and their impact on mood.
• How hormone type, dose, and delivery method influence mood and psychiatric stability.
• Differentiating hormonal contraception-related mood symptoms from primary mood and anxiety disorders.
• Identifying which patients are most likely to experience mood-related side effects.
• How to assess whether mood symptoms are caused by contraceptive use.
• When to switch vs. stop hormonal contraception.
• Optimizing patient safety and symptom management.