国際学会
World Association of Social Psychiatry Newsletter
December 2024
World Association of Social Psychiatry Newsletter
December 2024
Introduction by Andrew Molodynski, Secretary General
Dear All,
Welcome to the latest WASP newsletter. This is a sombre edition due to the passing of our highly influential and much-admired past president of WASP, Professor Eliot Sorel. As many of you will know Eliot passed away in recent months following a short but aggressive illness. The obituary attached outlines some of the ways in which he has supported and influenced a generation of psychiatrists around the World, but of course there was so much more to Eliot and the hole he leaves behind is enormous for us all. I have attached to this email a wonderful obituary organised and written by our president Vincenzo (World Social Psychiatry 10.4103/wsp.wsp_22_24). There is abeautifu obiturary in Psychiatric Times also- follow the link below:
In Memoriam: Eliot Sorel, MD, The Global Psychiatrist
Such was the breadth of Eliot’s work and the impact he had on people, there are many others too if you want to look.
The news regarding Eliot has dominated our thoughts but planning for next year’s WASP Word Congress of Social Psychiatry in Montreal, Canada continues. I hope very soon to be able to announce firm dates and location as I know that people need this well in advance to plan journeys and arrange time off work.
Eliot would have been very proud I know to read all the news below of activity in different parts of the WASP global family. I have never been sent so many messages and it is wonderful to read about all the exciting meetings and initiatives that are happening around the world.
Message from President Elect, WASP
The year 2024 is going to end and 2025 is coming with new hope of peace with resolution of wars. WASP is going to have its world congress in November 2025 at Montreal. I happened to attend two important meetings of social psychiatry recently, the European Society of Social Psychiatry (ESSP) meeting at Mariapoli, Castel Gandolfo, Rome on 2nd-3rd October at Rome and the 31st National Conference of the Indian Association for Social Psychiatry (NCIASP) at Mysore on 4th-6th November 2024.
We had most of the WASP leadership present in the ESSP meeting with lectures by Drs Driss Moussaoui, Tom Craig, Roy Abraham Kallivayalil, Andrew Moussaoui, Marianne Kastrup and Yasser Khazaal and the legendary Dr Norman Sartorius. The meeting was attended with over 200 delegates. ESSP led by Drs François Ferrero, Andrea Fiorillo, Luigi Janiri, Andrew Molodynski and Yasser Khazaal had made excellent arrangements.
NCIASP was held at the JSS Medical College in the historical city of Mysore on 4th-6th November 2024. WASP was represented by Dr Roy Abraham Kallivayalil, Past President, WASP, Dr Rakesh K Chadda, President Elect, WASP and Dr Debasish Basu, Honorary Editor, World Social Psychiatry. I would like to add that Dr Basu also took over as President, IASP for the period 2024-26. The conference was attended with over 300 delegates. Programme included NN De Oration, Venkoba Rao Oration, award sessions, invited lectures, symposiums, workshops, free paper sessions, poster sessions and a quiz for postgraduate students.
Rakesh K Chadda
President Elect, WASP
Professor and Head, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Sciences
Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Faridabad 121002, India drrakeshchadda@gmail.com
1. Report from Indian Association for Social Psychiatry (IASP)
The 31st National Conference of the Indian Association for Social Psychiatry (IASP) was held from 4th–6th November 2024 in Mysuru, with the theme “Generational Transformation in the 21st Century: Focus on Sexuality, Gender, and Relationships.”
It was organized by the Department of Psychiatry & Clinical Psychology, JSS Medical College & Hospital, Mysuru, and co-sponsored by the World Association of Social Psychiatry (WASP) and the World Psychiatric Association (WPA).
The structure of the 31st National Conference of the Indian Association for Social Psychiatry (IASP 2024):
- Theme: “Generational Transformation in the 21st Century: Focus on Sexuality, Gender, and Relationships.”
- Dates and Venue: 4th–6th November 2024 at JSS Medical College, Mysuru.
- Organizers: Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, JSS Medical College & Hospital, Mysuru.
- Programme Features: Workshops, symposiums, invited lectures, poster sessions, award sessions, and plenary sessions.
- Key Topics: Gender, relationships, digital exposure, mental health in Gen Z, and psychosexual medicine.
The first day of the IASP 2024 Conference began with a workshop on exposure therapy, followed by the theme symposium on generational transformation in sexuality, gender, and relationships. Key events included the release of a thematic book, lectures on climate change and mental health, and presentations on bipolar disorder biomarkers. Awards such as the Balint, J.K. Trivedi, and Anil Malhotra were conferred to recognize outstanding research. The day emphasized bridging generational changes with mental health advancements and fostering collaborative learning.
Day 2 of the IASP 2024 Conference featured a variety of sessions focused on mental health topics. The morning included paper presentations on various research topics and workshops on social psychiatry and suicide prevention technology. Symposia discussed sexual reassignment procedures, insomnia, mental health stigma, and family pathology. Afternoon sessions included a psychotherapy skills workshop and a plenary on psychosexual aspects in psychiatry. The day concluded with the annual general body meeting and a banquet dinner.
Day 3 of the IASP 2024 Conference featured the PG Quiz, followed by free paper presentations on various research topics. Symposia covered sexual health during pregnancy, transgender mental health, doctor-patient relationships, and sexual functioning in substance use patients. The plenary session discussed the role of social media in shaping sexuality, gender, and relationships. The conference concluded with the valedictory function and the installation of the new president.
Additionally, Elections were held in which the various posts of Office-Bearers and Executive Council Members were filled up as per the Constitution.
The New Office Bearers of the IASP for years 2024-26 are as follows:
President: Debasish Basu (iaspsecretariatektm@gmail.com; db_sm2002@yahoo.com)
President-Elect: Mamta Sood (soodmamta@gmail.com)
Vice-President: P Punnoose Varghese (vargheseppunnoose@yahoo.com)
Secretary General: Nitin Gupta (iaspsecretariatektm@gmail.com; nitingupta659@yahoo.co.in)
Treasurer: Smitha Ramadas (dr.smitharamadas@gmail.com)
Editor: Vivek Agarwal (drvivekagarwal06@gmail.com)
Asst Secretary-General: Prerna Sharma (iaspsecretariatektm@gmail.com; prernasharma02@gmail.com)
Immediate Past President: UC Garg (uttamcgarg@gmail.com)
Immediate Past Secretary-General: P Punnoose Varghese (vargheseppunnoose@yahoo.com)
2.The Argentine Branch of WASP in collaboration with the Section Psychiatry and Women in the 21st Century of the AAP was present at the 32nd International Congress of Psychiatry and Mental Health, organised by the Argentine Association of Psychiatrists (AAP), which took place from 23 to 25 October 2024 in Mar del Plata (Argentina), under the motto:
“Rethinking gender-based violence from the paradigm of the social determinants of health”.
Speakers included:
Dr. Leandro Dionisio, Dr. Natalia Uslenghi, Dr. Ana Martorella and Dr. Alejandra Maddocks, from the Argentinean branch of WASP.
3.Nepalese Association of Social Psychiatry (NASP) participated in the Annual National Conference of the Psychiatrists’ Association of Nepal conducted at the Western part of the country on 28-29 Nov 2024 with a symposium on Socio-cultural aspect of addiction.
The new executive committee of NASP is formed under the presidency of Prof. Dr. Ajay Risal.
4. 4th National Conference on Social Psychiatry (Pakistan), May 2024
Theme: Stress, Anxiety and Depression: Psychosocial Perspective
This event was organized in heart of Rawalpindi, a cantonment with a rich history and academic background. Mental health professionals from all around the country participated and attended the conference. The day started with recitation of Holy Quran, then all the speakers and chairs of inaugural session were invited on the stage. Speakers of inaugural session were from wide range of medical specialities and were true reflection of how social psychiatry could merge all other medical specialities for betterment of patients. Prof Mazhar Malik, President PASP welcomed all the distinguished guests and highlighted the role of psychosocial factors in management of depression and anxiety. Prof Ahmad Khan, Principal Watim Medical College appreciated the efforts of Prof Malik in organizing the event and congratulated the whole team on arranging a successful conference. Prof Syed Gulzar Ali Bukahri, Principal Watim Dental College, in his address was thankful to the organizers in incorporating Dental faculty in the conference and highlighted the importance of integrated approach for management of patients. Prof Abdur Rasheed Mian, Chairman WMDC and HOD Forensic Medicine had a detailed talk on the importance of mental health in overall health of an individual and emphasized the role of social determinants of mental health. Prof Wajid Ali Akhunzada, President Elect Pakistan Psychiatric Society elaborated the importance of mental health in overall health of individual and emphasized the need for destigmatizing mental health. Prof Khalid Mufti, Patron in Chief PASP graced the occasion and narrated his journey of more than 40 years with mental health in Pakistan. Dr. Akhtar Ali Bandesha, President Pakistan Medical Association highlighted the high prevalence of major mental disorders in Pakistan and gap in treatment of these patients due to limited number of mental Health professionals. Editor PASP, Dr. Usama Bin Zubair discussed barriers in destigmatizing mental health in our society and thanked the honourable guests who graced the occasion.
Prof Asad Tameez ud Din Nizami delivered his lecture as key note speaker and discussed the need for understanding public health perspective of mental health. According to him, collaboration with public health team and working on prevention of mental health disorders is need of the hour.
A group photograph of leading Psychiatrists at the 4th National Conference of Social Psychiatry
5. The Serbian Psychiatric Association held its first Serbian Psychiatric Days, themed “Aggression and Its Faces,” on November 1-2, 2024, in Belgrade. The Serbian Psychiatric Days event was established to bring together psychiatrists from across Serbia and region, providing a consistent platform for regional as well as international collaboration, knowledge exchange and the exploration of pressing psychiatric topics. Alongside the Serbian Psychiatric Association’s National Conference, held every four years, Serbian Psychiatric Days aim to offer an annual gathering to enhance professional engagement and address current challenges in psychiatry.
Supported by the European Psychiatric Association (EPA), this year’s conference attracted over 400 participants, including regional and international guests. The conference featured distinguished speakers, including Prof. Thomas Schulze, President-elect of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), Prof. Meryam Schouler-Ocak, board member of European Psychiatric Association (EPA) and chair of Committee on Ethical issues of the EPA and Dusica Lecic Tosevski former president of Serbian Psychiatric association, former zonal WPA president and member of Serbian Academy of Arts and Science. Moreover, we were happy that eminent lecturers from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Greece delivered excellent presentations. Together, their contributions added depth to discussions on the complexities of aggression in clinical settings and highlighted the need for ethically informed approaches.
A highlight of the conference was the “Multifamily Therapy in First Episode Psychoses” workshop, organized collaboratively by the Serbian Psychiatric Association and the Serbian Young Psychiatrists Section. Workshop was contacted by Mirjana Selakovic MD, MSc from Athens, Greece. This workshop provided a practical exploration of multifamily therapy approaches, equipping participants with hands-on strategies for supporting families and individuals affected by mental health challenges. It also encouraged young professionals to engage with innovative therapeutic methods, demonstrating the conference’s commitment to fostering growth and mentorship within the psychiatric community.
This year’s Serbian Psychiatric Days successfully facilitated meaningful exchanges and deepened understanding of managing aggression, reinforcing the importance of empathy and ethics in clinical practice. It stands as a testament to the Serbian psychiatric community’s dedication to advancing mental health both nationally and internationally.
6.WEST AFRICAN ASSOCIATION OF SOCIAL PSYCHIATRY (WAASP)
I am delighted that the West African Association of Social Psychiatry (WAASP) has been established and I want to start by thanking our late good friend Eliot Sorel for all his encouragement and help in enabling the realisation of our vision.
Social psychiatry has always been of importance in the context of African psychiatry because we know that psychopathology is embedded in the social and cultural context in addition to the role of the wider determinants of health in the aetiology, maintenance, and outcome of mental disorder. In an article published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in 1956 Professor Lambo one of the greats of African psychiatry advocated for social conditions and social strata to be taken into account when dealing with people with mental illness and since then many mental health professionals have continued to promote and develop these ideas.
The West African Association of Social Psychiatry under the leadership of Prof Gabriel Ivbijaro President, Prof Sammy Ohene Secretary-General, Dr Olusola Ephraim Oluwanuga Treasurer, Prof Abou Sy Francophone Representative and our Board members Dr Timothy Adebowale, Dr Kwabena Kusi-Mensah, Dr Veronica Nyamali, Prof Taiwo Lateef Sheik and Dr Kingsley Okonoda have been tasked to bring together West African Social Psychiatrists, friends, colleagues and the diaspora to advance social psychiatry in the West African context.
I am particularly pleased with this initiative because I started my psychiatric training the University of Benin, Nigeria and was awarded a Fellowship of the West African College of Physicians in Psychiatry. Since then, I have promoted public mental health including primary care mental health globally and being provided the opportunity to continue developing social psychiatry in West Africa was a privilege and honour.
I would like to express special thanks to Prof Vincenzo Di Nicola for agreeing to be one of the advisers to the West African Association of Social Psychiatry. A big thank you to the current Executive of WASP and all the WASP Past Presidents for their support and kind words of encouragement.
We plan to hold a conference in West Africa in 2025. If you would like to support us through your contributions or attendance, please let me know. I look forward to the West African Association of Social Psychiatry growing from strength to strength and making its contribution to the global family of Social Psychiatry.
Professor Gabriel Ivbijaro MBE
gabriel.ivbijaro@gmail.com
7. The Society of Preventive Psychiatry (represented by Prof. Nikos Christodoulou) in collaboration with the European Association of Professors Emeriti (represented by Prof. George Christodoulou) and EPIONI (represented by Spyros Zorbas), a carers’ organization, has organized a hybrid event to celebrate the World Mental Health Day on the 10th October. Distinguished members of the international psychiatric community participated. Danuta Wasserman, Juan Mezzich, Norman Sartorius, George Ikkos and others.
The theme was “Mental Health in the Workplace” and the event was attended by more than 100 participants.
8. From the ECP section:
Happy Holiday!
We thank the WASP community for all the support you’ve given us this year. We want to ask for support from all members who play a crucial role in the growth of our field- the mentors and trainers. Your guidance and support are invaluable, and we encourage you to help us in our mission by encouraging young psychiatrists to join our group. The more people we have, the more things we can do together.
The WASP Early Career Psychiatrist Section invites all TRAINEES, FRESH GRADUATES, and other EARLY CAREER PSYCHIATRISTS to be part of our team.
2025 will be an even more exciting year!
For more information, please email us at wasp.ecp@gmail.com or follow us at X (formerly Twitter) @WASP_ECP.
Best regards
-ECP Section
Sign-up Link:
https://forms.gle/oy4gFzxaem3dhhfD7
9. WADP India Chapter Conference, April 12-13, 2025 at Nagpur
The first national conference of the World Association for Dynamic Psychiatry (WADP)- India Chapter will be held at Nagpur, India on April 12-13, 2025. All are cordially invited.
Please get in touch with Prof Vivek Kirpekar vivek.kirpekar@gmail.com for more information.
Prof Roy A Kallivayalil
Prof Vivek Kirpekar
President, WADP India Chapter
Organising Chairman
10. Mental Health in the Workplace- Symposium at Bangalore, India: Oct 2024
The WFMH (Asia Pacific), WPA Section on Psychiatry, Law and Ethics and WASP Symposium on Mental Health in the Workplace was held during the 57th Annual Conference of Indian Psychiatric Society- South Zone at NIMHANS Bangalore, on 19th Oct 2024.
Topic: *It is time to prioritize Mental Health in the Workplace*
Presenters:
1. Mental Health in the Workplace- an urgent priority- Prof Roy A Kallivayalil
2. Mental Health in Workplace and Women- Dr C A Smitha (Calicut)
3. Mental Health in Workplace- Legal and Ethical aspects- Prof K Ashok Reddy (Mahabubnagar)
4. Mental Health in Workplace in the Digital Era- Dr Priya R Nair (Hyderabad)
The symposium was attended by a large audience with much interested participation.
The photo below shows:
WFMH- WPA- WASP Symposium at Bangalore on “It’s time to prioritize Mental Health in the Workplace”. Speakers and Chairs: Dr C A Smitha (Calicut), Prof K Ashok Reddy (Mahabubnagar), Prof Roy A Kallivayalil, Prof R Ponnudurai (Chennai), Prof RS Deepak (Chitradurga) and Dr Priya R Nair (Hyderabad) are seen in pic.
Activity Report of the WASP Section On Family Intervention Programs
The traditional annual Congress of the French-speaking Profamille Network took place on November 21 and 22, 2024, in Paris, organized by the teams of the Paris Psychiatry and Neuroscience University Hospital Group in collaboration with the French-speaking Association of Psychoeducation Profamille chaired by Dr Yann Hodé. An Association that supports families with relatives suffering from schizophrenia or related disorders to help them cope with this complicated situation by providing them with keys to understanding and tools on a daily basis. This original congress is a highlight because it brings together committed health professionals and family caregivers from France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Morocco. This year, it was attended by 190 people who benefited from inter-team exchanges, workshops and represents a great opportunity to share experiences, but also to draw inspiration from the practices of other teams in the French-speaking network. I represented the WASP as Chair of our Scientific Section on Family Intervention Programs with a presentation entitled: “A Special Issue of WSP Journal Dedicated to Families, Peer Supporters and users.”
Saïd Fattah
Have A wonderful 2025 Everyone, wherever you are!!!!!!!!
Andrew M