Skip to main content
Alt image text

Psychotherapeutic Medications and Nutritional Status: Integrating Mental Health and Nutrition Care

Sunday, October 25, 2026

-

Hemisfair C1

CPE: 1.5

Proficiency: Advanced knowledge/expertise

Tracks: Aging & Long-Term Care, Behavioral & Mental Health

Theme: Clinical Updates & Evolving Practice

Description

This session explores the intersection between psychotherapeutic medications and nutritional health, presented by a pharmacist and a dietitian. Participants will learn how common psychiatric medications—including antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, and anxiolytics—can influence appetite, weight, glycemic control, gastrointestinal function, and micronutrient status, as well as key drug–nutrient interactions that affect treatment outcomes. The session will highlight how unrecognized nutrition changes may destabilize psychiatric symptoms, impair medication response, and increase chronic disease risk. With rising psychiatric complexity and widespread psychotropic use in post-acute and long-term care (PALTC), integrated nutrition–mental health care is increasingly important. Using real PALTC cases, presenters will demonstrate how fragmented care can contribute to medication-related weight changes, missed nutrient deficiencies, and preventable decline. Participants will gain practical strategies to assess nutrition risks associated with psychotropic therapy, identify clinically meaningful drug–nutrient interactions, and develop individualized nutrition plans that support both psychiatric stability and overall health.

Planned with the Dietetics in Healthcare Communities DPG

Learning Objectives

  • Identify common psychotherapeutic medication classes and describe how their mechanisms may influence appetite, metabolism, and nutrient utilization.
  • Develop nutrition care strategies to mitigate or manage side effects of psychotherapeutic medications within the Nutrition Care Process framework.
  • Collaborate effectively with prescribers and interdisciplinary team members to optimize both mental health and nutritional outcomes for individuals receiving psychotropic therapy.

Performance Indicators

  • 11.4.6 Monitors responses and effects of nutrition-related drugs and takes required action to make modifications or adjustments to treatment plans.
  • 11.4.1 Identifies nutrition-related pharmacological agents and their actions on the body.
  • 11.5.2 Monitors and communicates factors and barriers affecting client/patient progress in meeting goals.

Speakers

  • Kristen Bowman photo

    Kristen Bowman

    Registered Dietitian, Oregon State Hospital

    Kristen Bowman is a native Oregonian who spent over fourteen years in long term care before moving into behavioral health. Working for the last four and a half years at the Oregon State Hospital has helped her to realize you can’t manage nutritional health without addressing mental health. To care for her own mental health, Kristen loves to spend time doing anything outdoors with her spouse, kids, and dogs.
  • Kevin McMahon photo

    Kevin McMahon

    Consultant Pharmicist, PharMerica

    Kevin McMahon, PharmD is originally from Pennsylvania and completed his undergraduate & PharmD program at the University of Pittsburgh. Since moving to Washington, Kevin has worked in community pharmacy and began serving the LTC population in 2019 with a focus on Adult Family Homes before joining PharMerica to support patients in Skilled Nursing & Assisted Living Facilities throughout western and central Washington.

Moderator

  • Elizabeth Johnson photo

    Elizabeth Johnson

    Consultant Dietitian, S&S Nutrition Network, Inc.

    Libby Johnson, MBA, RDN, CD is a Consulting Dietitian with S&S Nutrition Network, Inc., where she provides nutrition consulting services to post-acute and long-term care facilities throughout the states of Washington, Oregon and Alaska. She hold an appointed board position with the Washington State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and is the current Chair of the Dietetics in Healthcare Communities (DHCC) DPG. Libby has a passion for ageing joyfully, spending her free time exploring the beautiful outdoors and wine country of the Pacific Northwest, cooking, reading, and living a life of gentle chaos with her two Golden Retrievers, barn cats and husband.

Join the Academy

Members of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics receive exciting benefits including complimentary continuing professional education opportunities, discounts on events and products in eatrightSTORE.org, invitations to exclusive members-only events and more!

Log in or join