World Psychiatric Association / August 2009

August 2009

	Message from WPA President Professor Mario Maj "The WPA Action Plan is in progress" During the past few months, the WPA has started the implementation of all the items of its Action Plan 2008-2011. Let me list some of the activities which have been initiated: Please click here to read. "The WPA Action Plan 2008-2011" read editorial
	The WPA Florence Congress: 9,000 participants! The WPA International Congress “Treatments in Psychiatry: a New Update”, held in Florence from 1 to 4 April, has been a major success. We have had about 9,000 participants from 125 countries. The scientific programme included, among the other ingredients, lectures delivered by the 10 top-cited scientists in psychiatry and psychology during the past 10 years, according to Essential Science Indicators. Please click here to see the programme of the Congress. Please click here to read the abstract book.
	Iraq Mental Health Survey in World Psychiatry The first survey on the prevalence and correlates of mental disorders in the Iraq population, carried out by the Iraq Ministries of Health and Planning in collaboration with the World Health Organization, has been accepted for publication in World Psychiatry, the WPA official journal. Please click here to read the paper. Read related news by the International Herald Tribune
	WHO-WPA Work Plan 2008-2011 A work plan has been established that includes: Revision of the ICD-10 chapter on mental and behavioural disorders Collaboration in the mhGAP Partnership on mental health care in emergencies Collaboration in the area of substance abuse Partnership on involvement of users and carers
	WPA-WHO Workshop A WPA-WHO workshop on mental health and psychosocial support in areas affected by disasters and conflicts will take place at the WHO Headquarters in Geneva from 27 to 31 July, 2009.
	The WPA Train-the-Trainers Workshop: Ibadan The 5-day WPA training workshop for the teachers of mental health in community health officers’ training institutions in the southwest of Nigeria took place at the University of Ibadan Conference Centre, Ibadan from 26 to 30 January, 2009.
	Call for Applications for a Research Fellowship Research in the Field of Mood Disorders. As part of its fellowship programme for early-career psychiatrists from low- or lower-middle income countries, the WPA is funding a research fellowship at the Department of Psychiatry & Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).
	Call for Applications for a Research Fellowship Research on Psychosocial or Health Services Issues. As part of its fellowship programme for early-career psychiatrists from low- or lower-middle income countries, the WPA is funding a research fellowship at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
	Call for Applications for a Research Fellowship Research on the phenomenology and therapeutics of bipolar disorder. As part of its fellowship programme for early-career psychiatrists from low- or lower-middle income countries, the WPA is funding a research fellowship at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine in Cleveland, OH, USA.
	Call for Applications for a Research Fellowship Research on international mental health. As part of its fellowship programme for early-career psychiatrists from low- or lower-middle income countries, the WPA is funding a research fellowship at the Institute of Psychiatry of London.
	Exemplary experiences in Mental Health and Psychiatry across the World The Asia-Pacific Community Mental Health Development (APCMHD) project was established in 2005 to explore diverse leading models or approaches to community mental health service delivery in the Asia-Pacific region. The objective is to illustrate and promote best practice in mental health care in the community through use of information exchange, current evidence and practical experience in the region. Read entire document SCARF is the acronym for the Schizophrenia Research Foundation, a non-governmental, non-profit organization based in Chennai (formerly Madras) in South India. SCARF was established in 1984 by a group of philanthropists and mental health professionals led by Dr. M. Sarada Menon, an internationally renowned psychiatrist. In the twenty five years since, SCARF has reinforced itself as a center of repute in rehabilitation and research in disorders of the mind. Read entire document.
	A Course for Young Psychiatrists: Singapore, February 25-28, 2009 A course on development of leadership and professional skills for young psychiatrists, led by N. Sartorius and co-sponsored by the WPA, took place in Singapore on February 25-28, 2009.
	News from the Association of Psychiatrists of Bosnia and Herzegovina Psychiatry days were held in Banja Luka from 20th to 21st of March 2009 with a focus on the ‘Contemporary Approach to Bipolar Affective Disorder’. The Third Cuban Glossary of Psychiatry (GC-3) is the Cuban Psychiatric Diagnostic Manual developed by Cuban mental health professionals. View and download glossary. The WPA co-sponsored IV. Macedonian Psychiatric Congress and International Meeting with a wide international participation was held on 27-31 May, in the UNECSO city of Ohrid, Macedonia. Please find the latest issue of the Bulletin of the Asian Federation of Psychiatric Associations (AFPA), led by the WPA Zonal Representative for Eastern Asia (Zone 17) Professor Naotaka Shinfuku. News from Argentina Alfredo Cia, an officer of the Association of Argentinean Psychiatrists (APSA), has produced a short review of the transformation of mental health care systems in Argentina. A book entitled ‘The day the mountains moved: international perspectives on handling psycho-trauma’ has been published by U. Niaz. Book Review: "When Blushing Hurts. Overcoming Abnormal Facial Blushing". In an excellent book entitled When Blushing Hurts, noted Chilean psychiatrist Enrique Jadresic M.D. enlightens a clinical disorder known as pathological blushing (PB). The book presents an outstanding clinical description of the illness based on the author’s own experience as a patient accompanied by his precise phenomenological approach, derived from years of clinical practice. A Psychiatrist Wanted for Great Cause The Department of Psychiatry at Jimma University which is situated in Jimma, Ethiopia, is planning to launch a two year innovative graduate training program for mid-level health professionals. They are searching for a psychiatrist to help start a new program to train mental health professionals with master's degree. News from the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria Dr. Oyewusi Gureje, Professor and Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Ibadan College of Medicine and who is also the President of the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria was conferred with the award of the Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM) by the President of Nigeria. News from the Norwegian Psychiatric Association The Norwegian Psychiatric Association celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2007. One of the most successful initiatives the association undertook during the celebration was to make a ten point manifesto on health policy. The 4th SAARC Psychiatric Federation meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh SAARC Psychiatric Federation organised its 4th regional meeting in Dhaka from 1-3 November 2008. News from the South African Society of Psychiatrists The South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) has, at its last annual general meeting at Fancourt, George converted from an Associated to a Not–for–Profit Company. News from the Russian Society of Psychiatrists The Annual Conference of Russian Society of Psychiatrists was held on 28-30 October 2008 in Moscow. The title was: Realization of subprogramme “Mental disorders” of Federal dedicated programme “Prevention and control of socially significant diseases”. Latest news from the Kyrgyz Psychiatric Association The esteemed Professor V. V. Solojenkin was the founder and leader of Kyrgyz Psychiatric Association (KPA) until 2007. After the elections that had taken place in 2007 a new Executive Committee was formed. WAM Earthquake Quetta Pakistan A team comprising of President Pakistan Psychiatric Society (PPS) and Immediate Past President Prof. Riaz Bhatti with other eminent psychiatrists visited the earthquake area. Psychiatry Board Certification Psychiatry board certification examinations were initiated in Turkey in 2006. The aim was to motivate psychiatrists who had already been qualified in psychiatry to be up to date in recent developments in the field, thus improving good clinical practice and quality of psychiatric services in the country.
	Report from the WPA Transcultural Section; “TREATMENTS IN PSYCHIATRY: a new update” held in Florence, Italy on 1-4 April 2009
	A new Global Burden of Disease study is underway.
	The WPA Section on Public Policy and Psychiatry had a meeting at the Florence WPA 2009 Congress.
	A Child and Adolescent Skill Training Programme will be held in Mumbai, India by the WPA Section on Psychiatry in Developing Countries.
	Prof. Ian Brockington, a renowned expert in the area of women’s mental health, has produced recently two books dealing, respectively, with organic psychoses of pregnancy and puerperium and menstrual psychosis. Please read the tables of contents and some reviews.
	The WPA Section on Art and Psychiatry announces the publication of the book ‘The person in art: conceptual and pictorial frames on art and mental health’.
	The International Consensus Statement on Women’s Mental Health and the WPA Consensus Statement on Interpersonal Violence against Women In 1999, women’s mental health leaders from Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America and Australia began a fact finding process to determine the psychosocial, cultural and environmental factors which were most salient to women’s mental health and mental illness. At the 2001 First World Congress on Women’s Mental Health in Berlin, they rank ordered these factors.
	The WPA Section on Public Policy and Psychiatry has recently updated their Web pages to include their field of interest and activities. View Section web pages.
	WPA Leadership (2008-2011) is installed. View photos and biosketches and read the first Board Report: Executive Committee WPA Board (Zone Representatives) WPA Council
	WPA Member Societies and Affiliated Associations (updated WPA GA 2008)
	WPA Upcoming Scientific Events
The World Psychiatric Association The WPA is an association of national psychiatric societies aimed to increase knowledge and skills necessary for work in the field of mental health and the care for the mentally ill. Its member societies are presently 134, spanning 112 different countries and representing more than 200,000 psychiatrists. The WPA organizes the World Congress of Psychiatry every three years. It also organizes international and regional congresses and meetings, and thematic conferences. It has 65 scientific sections, aimed to disseminate information and promote collaborative work in specific domains of psychiatry. It has produced several educational programmes and series of books. It has developed ethical guidelines for psychiatric practice, including the Madrid Declaration (1996). What are its Aims? The core missions of WPA include the following: To encourage the highest possible standards of clinical practice To increase knowledge and skills about mental disorders and how they can be prevented and treated To promote mental health To promote the highest possible ethical standards in psychiatric work To disseminate knowledge about evidence-based therapy and values based practice To be a voice for the dignity and human rights of the patients and their families, and to uphold the rights of psychiatrists To facilitate communication and assistance especially to societies who are isolated or whose members work in impoverished circumstances