S. Vahip, Turkey
Chair NPAs Steering Committee 2019-2021; Ege University, Medicine Faculty, Department of PsychiatryModerator of 5 Sessions
Persons with severe mental disorders frequently experience discrimination and isolation due to the high levels of stigmatizing behaviours and attitudes held by the general population. Furthermore, stigma represents a significant obstacle not only for people suffering from mental disorders, but also for their relatives and their loved ones, who also experience stigma by association. Fighting stigma represents an “old unmet need” in the mental health field and several international and national organizations have promoted interventions for challenging stigma and improving mental health literacy in the general population. It has been clearly demonstrated that the specific cultural background can impact on the development of stigmatized belief, behaviours and attitudes about people with mental disorders. Therefore, in order to overcome stigma effectively it is needed a multicultural social perspective, even for adapting antistigma initiatives to the specific cultural context of each country or region. Although so many efforts have been put forward in fighting stigma and ending discrimination against disadvantaged people, stigma has not been overcome yet. There is the need to develop new effective, multimodal, integrated strategies in order to challenging effectively stigma. In this symposium, national experiences from different European countries will be discussed, with a specific focus on the future perspectives of research in the field of stigma and discrimination.
Presenter of 8 Presentations
Live Q&A
Morning Interviews
Live Q&A
Morning Interviews
Live Q&A
EPA Extras
Live Q&A
S0018 - The EPA-Council of National Associations in Implementing Digital Mental Health Across Europe: Opportunities and Challenges
ABSTRACT
Abstract Body
Digital solutions and interventions for mental health have increasingly been taking place in many societies in the last several decades. There are significant differences among countries due to economical and organizational situations. On the other hand, despite digital gap, there is a significant increase in the use of telepsychiatry and e-mental health applications with the Covid-19 pandemic throughout the world. Experiences of this pandemic times make many opportunities and challenges more apparent in this field. Safety and security, legislation, regulations, good practice standards, evidence based data, ethics and education are several of main areas of needs.
EPA with the Council of National Psychiatric Associations (NPAs) is one of the crucial organizations in Europe which may play an important role to work on these challenges and opportunities. EPA-Council of NPAs consists of 44 associations represent psychiatrists (and other mental health workers in some) from 40 European countries. NPAs are crucial organisations in contact with local and national mental health stakeholders; competent in national, local, authentic and cultural issues and sensitivities; and could serve as crucial junctions for Europewide policies and their widespread implementations.
Some reflections on challenges and opportunities from the Council of NPAs will be presented, based on a rapid survey and personal communications with presidents and official representatives of NPAs for future perspectives.