Welcome to the EPA 2021 Interactive Programme

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53 Sessions
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  • Pre-Recorded with Live Q&A
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Date
Tue, 13.04.2021
Session Time
08:00 - 09:30
Room
Channel 4
Session Description
The Live Q&A of this session will take place in the Live Sessions auditorium. Please refer to the interactive programme for the exact time and channel.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the delivery of mental healthcare, while at the same time increasing the global burden of disease. However, the advent of remote technologies to support clinical care and the availability of real-world datasets have enabled a rapid response to improve mental healthcare delivery.In this symposium, leading experts in mental healthcare data science will address the new technologies which have emerged during the pandemic, insights into their immediate impacts, and the opportunity to support better personalisation and access to mental healthcare in the future.Dr Rashmi Patel is an MRC HDR UK Fellow, general psychiatrist and EPA Research Prize winner. He will speak about insights from EHR data during the pandemic and how real-time data visualisation could help to reduce treatment delays in serious mental illness.Dr David Rigby is Chair of the Special Interest Group on Digital Psychiatry at the UK Royal College of Psychiatrists. He will review the impact of digital psychiatry on recruitment and the benefits and challenges of telepsychiatry during the COVID-19 pandemic.Dr Miguel Alvarez-Mon is Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Alcalá. He will present, with original research, how social media contents may have contributed to misinformation during the pandemic and how they could impact public mental health.Dr Tanjir Rashid Soron is founder of the Telepsychiatry Research and Innovation Network and will share his experience of leading “Monerdaktar”, the largest online mental health service in Bangladesh, and how it improved access to mental healthcare during COVID-19.

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Pre-Recorded with Live Q&A
Educational
Date
Sun, 11.04.2021
Session Time
15:30 - 17:00
Room
Channel 5
Session Description
The Live Q&A of this session will take place in the Live Sessions auditorium. Please refer to the interactive programme for the exact time and channel.

Proposed by the EPA Section on TeleMental Health -The 21st century has witnessed a fast-paced revolution in information technologies, that in turn contributed to the spread of new complementary diagnostic and clinical tools for mental health, which are likely to become a standard of practice in the near future, especially for younger generations of psychiatrists. The symposium will provide an introduction on the main past and contemporary issues related to the diagnostic process in psychiatry and innovative digital approaches to psychiatric diagnosis will be presented. In detail, Neuroanalysis represents a novel integrative approach, based on a patient-interactive digital platform which couples EEG-based imaging data with machine-learning algorithms to measure brain network activity in psychiatric diseases. Digital Phenotyping takes advantage on biosensors and allows to analyze several digital parameters (individual level of activity, GPS location, use of voice/speech, use of social media and human-computer interactions) in real time. Its clinical potential in relation to monitoring the transition from at-risk conditions to initial stages of mental illnesses, in providing accounts of early signs of relapse, and in promoting recovery will be addressed. Finally, the use of automated technologies to perform innovative clinical assessments will be reviewed, with specific reference to the identification of subjects at high risk for neurodevelopmental disorders. Digital tools today represent potentially cost- and time-effective tools for clinical providers to help support early detection and diagnosis of psychiatric disorders and their potentials as well as their caveats for clinical practice will be thoroughly discussed.

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Pre-Recorded with Live Q&A, Section
Date
Mon, 12.04.2021
Session Time
15:30 - 17:00
Room
Channel 6
Session Description
The Live Q&A of this session will take place in the Live Sessions auditorium. Please refer to the interactive programme for the exact time and channel.

Brain research in Europe is a rapidly evolving field, and increasingly at the forefront of science. Although considerable amounts of knowledge and innovative approaches have been generated, the translation into new health interventions is hindered by excessive fragmentation. Effective and efficient collaboration and cooperation among the various initiatives are often identified as a key success factor to achieve brain research full impact. EBRA fully responds to these needs by bringing together the various stakeholders and major brain research initiatives, at European level and beyond. EBRA creates the conditions for real and effective cross fertilisation, dialogue, building consensus and exploiting research potential. EBRA’s coordination focuses on two levels: a strategic level and an operational level. At the strategic level, EBRA fosters alignment and better co-ordination of research strategies across European and global brain initiatives. A mapping of the European brain research landscape has been performed and the development of a Shared European Brain Research Area (SEBRA) is set for April 2021. On the operational level, EBRA facilitates the emergence of research projects in specific areas in active clusters. A cluster is understood as a research community that can be directed towards basic research, clinical research and/or methodological approaches under a common topic and disease area within brain research. EBRA support clusters to expand their community, engage with relevant stakeholders, build consensus, and promote links with existing research infrastructures. EBRA currently has 4 existing clusters: EPI-cluster, Prevention of Severe Mental Disorders (PSMD)-cluster, TRISOMY21-cluster and BRAINFOOD-cluster.

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Pre-Recorded with Live Q&A
Mental Health Policy
Date
Sun, 11.04.2021
Session Time
10:00 - 11:30
Room
Channel 6
Session Description
The Live Q&A of this session will take place in the Live Sessions auditorium. Please refer to the interactive programme for the exact time and channel.

The COVID-19 pandemic represents a unique traumatic event which has had and is continuing to have an impact on the mental health of the general population worldwide. The pandemic is a new form of threat, different from previous mass disasters such as tsunami or earthquakes, where the threat is well defined and confined in time and space, while this virus can be everywhere and can be carried by everyone. Therefore, the pandemic and its related containment measures are associated with high levels of depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms in the general population, as well as by increasing levels of stigma and discrimination towards the infected people. However, the pandemic is expected to cause a global economic recession, with increasing rates of unemployment and poverty, which will in turn increase social disparities and suicide risk. Therefore, the most disadvantaged people, such as people living with disabilities, elderly people or migrants, are expected to be the most severely affected by the long-term consequences of the pandemic. In this workshop, international renowned speakers will discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic from a social, economic and clinical perspectives, also including experiences from low-resource settings. Furthermore, a specific focus will be given on carers of patients with severe mental disorders, which have been overlooked during the initial phases of the pandemic.

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Pre-Recorded with Live Q&A
Clinical/Therapeutic
Date
Tue, 13.04.2021
Session Time
10:00 - 11:30
Room
Channel 6
Session Description
The Live Q&A of this session will take place in the Live Sessions auditorium. Please refer to the interactive programme for the exact time and channel.

Proposed by the EPA sections on Psychopharmacology and Old Age Psychiatry-According to the data, more than 50% of elderly patients with mental disorders are treated with multiple drugs (e.g. 5 or more medications), which can lead to medically unnecessary polypharmacy (i.e., irrational polypharmacy). Due to frequent comorbidities and treatments in the elderly, polypharmacy is the rule rather than the exception and can lead to several harms, treatment failures, and inappropriate prescribing. Elderly patients on polypharmacy (rational and irrational) are also excluded from many clinical trials and consequently, this age group is underrepresented in meta-analyses and clinical guidelines as well, which leads to a lack of evidence-based medicine supported results useful for daily practice. In this context, the prudent deprescribing process is a key step in irrational polypharmacy reduction. The purpose of deprescribing is to reduce inappropriate polypharmacy, medication burden and harm, and to improve patient health-related outcomes. There are some tools available that can help in the deprescribing process in clinical practice, including different medication lists (e.g. Beers criteria, STOPP/START, and guidelines). This proposed joint workshop of the Section of Old Age Psychiatry and the Section of Psychopharmacology will address a neglected topic: why and when to use the deprescribing process of psychotropics in elderly patients in real clinical settings. Experts in psychiatry and psychopharmacology will specifically address the use of the deprescribing process of antidepressants, antipsychotics, hypnotics, and other psychotropics in this population. The participants will learn why is important to use deprescribing processes supported by evidence-based data and real clinical pharmacological tools useful for daily practice.

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Pre-Recorded with Live Q&A, Section
Clinical/Therapeutic
Date
Sun, 11.04.2021
Session Time
08:00 - 09:05
Room
Channel 7
Session Description
The Live Q&A of this session will take place in the Live Sessions auditorium. Please refer to the interactive programme for the exact time and channel.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is becoming a standard care method in psychiatry. In e.g. Finland, the method is in the national current care guidelines, whereas in some European countries there are hardly any treatment providers. tDCS is seen as an important alternative for patients who have trouble with medication. It has been scientifically validated as safe and effective, and it can be applied to many levels of psychiatric care. The aim of this workshop is to increase knowledge about the method among professionals and to share practical experiences gained from offering this treatment to patients.

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Pre-Recorded with Live Q&A
Mental Health Policy
Date
Mon, 12.04.2021
Session Time
19:30 - 21:00
Room
Channel 6
Session Description
The Live Q&A of this session will take place in the Live Sessions auditorium. Please refer to the interactive programme for the exact time and channel.

Youth, as being defined between 12-25 years, is the period of life when most mental ill-health has its onset. Some principles are defined to guide local implementation of youth mental health care in any resource setting or country: 1-awareness, engagement and integration, 2-easy and affordable access 3-youth-specific care, 4-youth partnership, 5-prevention, 6-early intervention, 7-family engagement and support, and 8-continuous improvement. However, care needs are far from being met. The presenters will talk about their experience and studies that attempted to address these principles in different contexts, populations and in different countries of Europe. Ekin Sonmez will discuss how social norms approach could be applied to prevent alcohol and substance use disorders in youth. Diego Quattrone will present an international study aiming to answer questions on cannabis and risk of first-episode psychosis. Aleksandar Savic will propose a model and report on the attempt of utilizing existing clinical programs (first episode psychosis and non-psychosis youth services) in providing adequate care for at-risk youth. Gaia Sampogna will discuss the consequences of being exposed to traumatic events (such as cyberbullying or the recent pandemic) on the mental health of young people. Victor Pereira-Sanchez will present his studies applying social media content analysis on Twitter to explore public perceptions regarding pathological social withdrawal (hikikomori). Ozge Kilic will talk about her experience in youth-specific care and discuss their study on functionality and mental health outcomes in the college population. (This workshop is being proposed for the ECPC track by ECPC Task Force on Research).

Session Icon
Pre-Recorded with Live Q&A
Educational
Date
Sun, 11.04.2021
Session Time
08:00 - 09:30
Room
Channel 5
Session Description
The Live Q&A of this session will take place in the Live Sessions auditorium. Please refer to the interactive programme for the exact time and channel.

The rapid urbanization characterizing the modern era determined a relevant impact on global health, acting through different pathways. Anthropogenic actions contributed to exacerbate climate change in urban areas, causing several phenomena influencing urban citizens’ wellbeing. Implications on mental health were established in most recent times, representing a growing field of research. Indeed, the exposure to urban environment has been associated to a higher risk of developing serious mental disorders. The effects of frequently uncontrolled urbanism on mental health are expected to be correlated with several factors, such as higher level of pollutants, light changes, inflammatory mechanisms, unhealthy lifestyle, psychosocial determinants. In this complex scenery, environmental resilience is crucial in order to minimize vulnerabilities and possible risks connected to critical changes. Further interest on urbanization and climate change was also raised by the recent Covid-19 pandemic, since it was demonstrated that pollution may lead to significantly higher rates of death in people infected by the virus spread. In consideration of the implications that the Covid-19 pandemic presented on mental health, the role of environmental resilience as a possible protective factor will be critically analyzed. In addition, a critical reappraisal of the specific effects of climate change and related factors on mental health will be provided. The contribution of recent approaches such as the Ecological Momentary Assesment and the use of Big Data in the analysis of the environmental determinants of mental health will be also overviewed, considering possible future developments of research in this field specifically involving climate change.

Session Icon
Pre-Recorded with Live Q&A
Date
Mon, 12.04.2021
Session Time
17:30 - 19:00
Room
Channel 4
Session Description
The Live Q&A of this session will take place in the Live Sessions auditorium. Please refer to the interactive programme for the exact time and channel.

In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 virus (known as Coronavirus) a global pandemic leading to almost ubiquitous public health restrictive measures. Both the COVID-19 pandemic and the applied restrictive measures can have marked acute and long-term detrimental effects on physical and mental health-related quality of life and every-day functioning of the general population, but also in particular in specific population groups. Thus, apart from the actual COVID-19-infection-related health complications, indirect physical and mental health complications might represent the most crucial and still unpredictable public-health-related aspect of the pandemic and call for a careful assessment at a global level. The Collaborative Outcomes study on Health and Functioning during Infection Times (COH-FIT) is the currently largest-scale global study on the overall health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and applied restrictive measures in the general population, representing a unique collaboration between over 200 researchers, across over 40 countries and six continents. The elaborated design of the COH-FIT study can identify non-modifiable and modifiable multisystem risk and resilience factors in such an unprecedented time. Results will inform and facilitate acute and long-term interventions and preventive responses at a policy, health care and individual level, to better adapt to challenges inflicted by the ongoing pandemic and possible future global crises. This symposium presents the project background and methodology and offers an overview of the most important results of the global COH-FIT sample of over 80,000 in adult, adolescent and children participants.

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Pre-Recorded with Live Q&A
Clinical/Therapeutic
Date
Sun, 11.04.2021
Session Time
10:00 - 11:30
Room
Channel 7
Session Description
The Live Q&A of this session will take place in the Live Sessions auditorium. Please refer to the interactive programme for the exact time and channel.

Proposed by the EPA section on Addictive Behaviours -Patients with psychiatric disorders and co-occurring addictive disorders often pose a clinical challenge, both in the diagnostic process, as well as during treatment. Co-occurring substance use may interfere with clinical assessment and often requires adjustment of pharmacological and psychological treatment approaches. However, comorbidity between psychiatric disorders and addictive disorders is rather common with about 30% of cases also having a substance use disorder, depending on the type of psychiatric condition and treatment setting. As a result, every clinician working in psychiatry will encounter clinical dilemma’s as described above. In this symposium, experts in the field co-occurring addictive disorders in psychosis, bipolar disorder, suicidal behavior and ADHD will share clinical dilemma’s and scientific answers to these dilemma’s. With this symposium, the speakers intend to provide tools and advice to come to more personalized and integrated treatment for your patients. Speakers will share data, recent literature and their view on diagnosis and treatment in patients with psychosis, bipolar disorder, suicidal behavior and ADHD. All speakers are connected to the Network of Early Career Professionals working in the area of Addiction Medicine (NECPAM: http://necpam.co/).

Session Icon
Pre-Recorded with Live Q&A, Section
Educational
Date
Mon, 12.04.2021
Session Time
19:30 - 21:00
Room
Channel 5
Session Description
The Live Q&A of this session will take place in the Live Sessions auditorium. Please refer to the interactive programme for the exact time and channel.

Bipolar disorder is a severe mental disorder associated with high levels of personal and societal burden. Although several pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions have been developed and are currently available in the routine the long-term treatment of bipolar patients, the rate of functional recovery is not very satisfying yet. Many unmet needs are still present in the optimal management of bipolar patients, including diagnostic, clinical and therapeutic challenges.  New perspectives are emerging for improving the clinical and functional outcomes of patients suffering from bipolar disorder. In particular, it has been recently argued that the optimal management of bipolar patients requires the evaluation of patient’s personal history according to a longitudinal perspective. In this conceptual framework, the construct of predominant polarity has been proposed by Colom for describing the predominant type of affective episodes according to a lifetime perspective. The predominant polarity has several therapeutic and prognostic implications for the long-term management of bipolar patients. Furthermore, neuroimaging correlates have recently confirmed the prognostic role of predominant polarity, highlighting the relevance of such index from a clinical perspective. In this symposium, the role of neuroimaging correlates of predominant polarity will be presented. Moreover, further new perspectives in the field of research in bipolar disorder are recently focusing on the role of childhood maltreatment and expression of symptoms during childhood as relevant predictors of long-term outcome. There is the need to translate the model of early interventions to the context of affective disorders, in order to significantly improve the long-term outcome of bipolar patients.

Session Icon
Pre-Recorded with Live Q&A
Educational
Date
Mon, 12.04.2021
Session Time
17:30 - 19:00
Room
Channel 5
Session Description
The Live Q&A of this session will take place in the Live Sessions auditorium. Please refer to the interactive programme for the exact time and channel.

The current diagnostic systems are subjected to continuing revision processes in order to adequately describe the complexity of mental disorders. During this process, some disorders have been progressively “forgotten” and are understudied by the younger generation of psychiatrists. Among the several reasons behind this process, there is the tendency of modern classification systems to improve the clinical utility of diagnostic categories, although reducing their validity. Furthermore, the reductionistic approach adopted by the modern classification systems has eliminated the capacity of detecting the subtle clinical differences among different patients, even when affected by the same disorder. However, the need for young generation of psychiatrists to re-discover the roots of psychopathology and the classical European tradition has been recently claimed. In this workshop, the speakers will discuss certain classical syndromes which are rarely addressed in the current educational curricula. In particular, de Clerambault, Cotard and Capgras syndromes will be presented, together with kleptomania and pyromania. The relevance of these syndromes for the clinical routine practice as well as the forensic implications will be extensively discussed.

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Pre-Recorded with Live Q&A