MER Primary Care Conferences Neurology & Psychiatry for Primary Care Jul 17-19, 2026

MER Neurology & Psychiatry for Primary Care 2026

The MER Neurology & Psychiatry for Primary Care 2026 program provides a focused clinical review of common neurological and psychiatric conditions encountered in primary care practice.

Organized by Medical Education Resources (MER), the original conference was held from July 17–19, 2026, at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa at the Disneyland Resort in California.

The curriculum combines practical neurology with evidence-based psychiatric medicine, covering neurological examination, seizures, antiepileptic medications, cerebrovascular disorders, weakness, migraine, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, movement disorders, ADHD, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, and comprehensive psychiatric assessment.

The program is particularly relevant to primary care clinicians who frequently evaluate patients with neurological symptoms, cognitive disorders, headaches, movement abnormalities, mood disorders, anxiety, or attention-related conditions.

Course Details

The topic overview refers to the original meeting, using the official MER agenda dated January 23, 2026 as a reference. Credit figures below describe the original live event, not this store product. Purchase does not include CME points, a certificate, conference registration or a publisher account. The agenda does not establish the completeness or format of the delivered files.

• Provider: Medical Education Resources (MER)
• Official Course: Neurology & Psychiatry for Primary Care
• Year: 2026
• Original Conference Dates: July 17–19, 2026
• Original Venue: Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa
• Location: Disneyland Resort, California, USA
• Original MER Listing: 12 Credit Hours
• Original ANCC Listing: 5.25 Pharmacotherapeutic Contact Hours
• Specialties: Neurology, Psychiatry, Internal Medicine & Primary Care
• Focus: Evidence-Based Neurological and Psychiatric Medicine

Who Should Attend?

This program is targeted to office-based primary care providers and other healthcare professionals seeking clinically relevant updates in neurological and psychiatric medicine.

Best For

• Primary Care Physicians
• Internal Medicine Physicians
• Family Medicine Physicians
• Neurologists
• Psychiatrists
• Nurse Practitioners
• Physician Assistants
• Other clinicians evaluating neurological and psychiatric conditions

Neurology

Neurological Examination

Develop a practical and structured approach to performing the neurological examination.

Important areas include:

• Mental status
• Cranial nerves
• Motor examination
• Sensory examination
• Reflexes
• Coordination
• Gait
• Neurologic localization
• Recognition of abnormal findings

A systematic neurological examination can help primary care clinicians determine whether symptoms require additional diagnostic evaluation or specialist referral.

Seizures & Epilepsy

Differential Diagnosis of Seizures

Review the evaluation of patients presenting with possible seizure activity.

Topics include:

• Clinical history
• Witness descriptions
• Seizure classification
• Differential diagnosis
• Syncope versus seizure
• Provoked versus unprovoked seizures
• Neurologic assessment
• Diagnostic considerations

Antiepileptic Medications

Compare important clinical characteristics of antiepileptic medications including:

• Mechanisms of action
• Clinical pharmacology
• Adverse-effect profiles
• Patient-specific considerations
• Medication selection
• Drug interactions
• Treatment monitoring

The goal is to help clinicians understand how pharmacological characteristics influence medication selection in patients with seizure disorders.

Cerebrovascular Disorders

Review current approaches to prevention and treatment of cerebrovascular disease.

Topics include:

• Stroke risk factors
• Primary prevention
• Secondary prevention
• Hypertension management
• Lipid management
• Antithrombotic considerations
• Recognition of stroke symptoms
• TIA
• Cerebrovascular risk reduction

Weakness

Learn how to distinguish true neurological weakness from nonspecific symptoms such as:

• Fatigue
• Generalized tiredness
• Pain-limited movement
• Functional symptoms

Clinical evaluation includes:

• Patient history
• Motor examination
• Neurologic localization
• Reflex testing
• Pattern recognition
• Appropriate diagnostic evaluation

Migraine & Headache Disorders

Review the differential diagnosis and management of migraine headaches.

Topics include:

• Migraine recognition
• Headache history
• Differential diagnosis
• Migraine with and without aura
• Acute treatment
• Preventive treatment
• Trigger management
• Warning signs for secondary headache
• Referral considerations

Alzheimer’s Disease

Review evidence-based approaches to assessment and management of Alzheimer’s disease.

Topics include:

• Cognitive symptoms
• Clinical recognition
• Cognitive assessment
• Differential diagnosis
• Diagnostic evaluation
• Pharmacologic management
• Non-pharmacologic management
• Caregiver considerations
• Long-term patient management

Parkinson’s Disease & Movement Disorders

Develop a structured approach to patients presenting with weakness, tremor, or abnormal movement.

Topics include:

• Parkinson’s disease
• Cardinal motor features
• Bradykinesia
• Rigidity
• Tremor
• Gait abnormalities
• Other movement disorders
• Differential diagnosis
• Referral considerations

Psychiatry

Comprehensive Psychiatric Assessment

Review a structured approach to evaluating patients with psychiatric presentations.

Key components include:

• Presenting symptoms
• Psychiatric history
• Medical history
• Medication history
• Mental status examination
• Substance-use assessment
• Functional assessment
• Safety assessment
• Differential diagnosis

ADHD

Review pharmacologic treatment options for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Topics include:

• ADHD diagnosis
• Patient assessment
• Stimulant medications
• Non-stimulant medications
• Clinical pharmacology
• Adverse-effect profiles
• Treatment selection
• Monitoring

The program emphasizes comparison of treatment benefits and potential adverse effects when selecting therapy.

Digital Media and Mental Health

The agenda also includes a session on mental-health challenges associated with digital and social media.

Anxiety Disorders

Review current evidence surrounding the management of anxiety disorders.

Topics may include:

• Generalized anxiety disorder
• Panic symptoms
• Clinical assessment
• Differential diagnosis
• Pharmacologic treatment
• Psychotherapeutic approaches
• Long-term management

Bipolar Disorder

Review evidence-based approaches to bipolar disorder.

Topics include:

• Bipolar disorder recognition
• Mood episodes
• Differential diagnosis
• Mood-stabilizing medications
• Psychosocial interventions
• Pharmacologic treatment
• Psychiatric comorbidities
• Long-term management considerations

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this program, participants should be better able to:

• Perform a structured neurological examination.
• Explain the differential diagnosis of seizures.
• Compare the adverse-effect and clinical pharmacology profiles of antiepileptic medications.
• Utilize prevention and treatment strategies for cerebrovascular disorders.
• Compare the benefits and adverse-effect profiles of pharmacologic treatment options for ADHD.
• Utilize a comprehensive assessment to identify and diagnose patients presenting with psychiatric symptoms.
• Review current evidence for treatment of anxiety disorders.
• Discuss psychosocial and pharmacologic mood-stabilizing treatments for bipolar disorder.
• Recognize common psychiatric comorbidities associated with bipolar disorder.
• Utilize history and physical examination to distinguish neurological weakness from nonspecific symptoms.
• Describe the differential diagnosis and treatment options for migraine headaches.
• Discuss evidence-based management options for Alzheimer’s disease.
• Evaluate patients presenting with weakness.
• Recognize cardinal clinical features of Parkinson’s disease.
• Differentiate Parkinson’s disease from other movement disorders.
• Integrate neurological and psychiatric assessment into primary care clinical decision-making.