APA members who have trouble fitting time for CME courses and meetings into their busy schedules have a new and convenient option for fulfilling continuing education requirements.

In January APA began offering psychiatrists an online depression course that allows them to earn three hours of CME credit by spending some time at their home or office computer.

The new program is based on a symposium sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb and presented at APA’s 1999 annual meeting in Washington, D.C. It combines audio and slide presentations and culminates in an electronic test that participants take via their computer.

The speakers discuss both pharmacological and psychotherapeutic depression treatments in terms of their efficacy, tolerability, side effects, and patient compliance issues. The program is divided into four parts—an introduction by Paula Clayton, M.D.; "Selecting the ‘Right’ Antidepressant for Your Patient," by Norman Sussman, M.D.; "Psychotherapy of Chronic Depression: Efficacy, Tolerability, Compliance, and Cost," by John C. Markowitz, M.D.; and "Clinical Approaches to Maximizing Response in Non- and Partial Responders to Antidepressants," by Robert M. A. Herschfeld, M.D.

APA members can access the program at no cost, but will be charged a $15 processing fee if they want to take the test for CME credit. The fee for nonmembers is $25.