Welcome to the 21st WCP Virtual Congress Program Scheduling

The congress will officially run on Colombian Standard Time (UTC-5)

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134 Sessions
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Accepted Symposia

Session Type
Symposium
Date
10/16/2021
Session Time
08:00 AM - 09:00 AM
Room
Accepted Symposia
Chair(s)
  • Meryam Schouler-Ocak (Germany)
Session Description
A growing body of literature has recognized health disparities and has investigated the relationship between racial discrimination and poor health outcomes. Ethnic minority groups across the world face social and psychological challenges linked to their minority status, often involving racial discrimination. Racial discrimination is increasingly recognized as an important contributing factor to health disparities among non-dominant ethnic minorities. Institutional racism goes along with policies and procedures which reduce the access to mental health care. Cultural racism, both at the societal and individual level, negatively affects economic status and health by creating a policy environment triggering negative stereotypes and discrimination that are pathogenic and fostering health damaging psychological responses. There is evidence that experiences of racial discrimination are an important type of stressor that can alter the health status and lead to behavioral patterns which increase health risks. The persistence of institutional and interpersonal discrimination is driven by racism. Studies have shown that perceived and experienced racial discrimination is a significant risk factor for mental health. In this symposium, the first speaker will talk on “Emotional impact of racism and the handling of it“. The second speaker will have a talk on “Discimination, poor mental health and mental health - How can we overcome it?“. The third speaker will focus on “Discrimination and racism in treatment procedures - What can we do?“, while the last speaker will discuss “How do other countries deal with discrimination and racism - What can we learn from them?“. The plenary is invited to discuss all lectures with us.
Session Type
Symposium
Date
10/16/2021
Session Time
09:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Room
Accepted Symposia
Chair(s)
  • Tsuyoshi Akiyama (Japan)
Session Description
In this symposium, Professor Mascayano will present the recent anti-stigma activities in Latin America, drawing attention to results from observational and intervention studies aimed to assess and reduce stigma among several populations such as individuals with severe mental disorders, health care workers, and the general population. Lessons learned and future developments will be discussed from a cultural-based perspective. Dr Oliveira will describe the initiatives against stigma currently being done by the Pan American Health Organization. A brief review on deinstitutionalization theory and practice will also be presented with a discussion on the effects of stigma on the process of deinstitutionalization of care for people with severe mental illness in the American region of the World Health Organization. Professor Akiyama will describe recent developments concerning the stigma of mental illness in Japan where, after four years of research, the Japanese government approved a systematic peer supporter training and care by the trained peer supporters starting in April 2021. This is an unprecedented development to combine the contributions by the peer supporter and the professional cares. In the discussion, Professor Sartorius will refer to programs against stigma in other parts of the world and steer the discussion to ways of ensuring that the Latin American initiatives and work against stigma elsewhere inspire each other.
Session Type
Symposium
Date
10/16/2021
Session Time
08:00 AM - 09:00 AM
Room
Accepted Symposia
Chair(s)
  • Jose Rubio (United States of America)
Session Description
Psychotic disorders are often characterized by recurrent relapses over the course of illness. Relapse impacts occupational and social functioning, undoes the progress made towards recovery and may endanger the patient and others. This symposium will address the major challenges, recent advances, and future directions in relapse-prevention in psychotic disorders. One of the major challenges is non-adherence with maintenance treatment. Dr Heidi Taipale (Finland) will present data on treatment continuity with antipsychotic drugs over the long-term in schizophrenia, as well as intervention targets to reduce treatment interruptions, including long-acting injectable antipsychotics. Despite the consistent literature supporting their efficacy, these formulations are largely underutilized. Some of the reasons are related to the challenges to present this treatment option effectively to patients. Dr John Kane (United States), will discuss how to make an effective presentation of a trial with a long-acting injectable antipsychotic. Another strategy to reduce treatment interruptions is to provide financial incentives to continue on treatment. Dr Daniel Guinart (Spain) will present data on the use of behavioral economics approaches to increase treatment adherence in psychotic disorders. Finally, although continuity with antipsychotic maintenance treatment has the best level of evidence for relapse-prevention, important challenges remain. About 20% of individuals with psychotic disorders do not relapse without maintenance treatment with antipsychotics. Alternatively, for 20-30% of individuals with psychotic disorders antipsychotics may not prevent subsequent relapses. Dr Jose Rubio (United States) will discuss future directions in stratifying maintenance treatment for individuals with psychotic disorders, to maximize the risk/benefit ratio of long-term antipsychotic treatment.
Session Type
Symposium
Date
10/16/2021
Session Time
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Room
Accepted Symposia
Chair(s)
  • Takahiro A. Kato (Japan)
Session Description
Urbanization has initiated rapid social change, disintegration and dissolution of social relations and decreased social control, which would result in mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, a variety of addictions including internet addiction, and suicide-related behaviors. Urban life fundamentally has a risk of social isolation, and COVID-19 has escalated the crisis of social isolation due to STAY HOME policies. In this symposium, thee speakers in urban cities in Japan, China and Brazil will introduce the impact of COVID-19 on mental health issues in each site. Dr Kato will introduce the maladaptive circle between urban life, social isolation and more serious mental health issues such as hikikomori, a form of pathological social withdrawal, and suicide in urban cities in Japan.
Session Type
Symposium
Date
10/16/2021
Session Time
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Room
Accepted Symposia
Chair(s)
  • Ana M. Soza Ried (Chile)
Session Description
Vestibular signals in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. Change in human sensory performance is an early indicator of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. Sensory performance can be used to monitor the efficacy of interventions (physical e.g., GVS, rTMS and drug). The human balance system has intimate links to the emotional and behavioural parts of the brain. In this workshop we present current clinical research focussed on vestibular related signals and therapies in neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. We propose 3 presentations within the workshop: Prof Paul Smith (New Zealand) titled “The vestibular system, memory, and the hippocampus” which will provide evidence that vestibular input to the hippocampus is stratified and may be used for different purposes according to the hippocampal subregion implying a relationship between vestibular dysfunction and affective disorders. Dr Ana Marie Soza Reid (Chair, Chile) titled “Vestibular Stimulation coadjuvant treatment for resistant major depression” which will demonstrate how unilateral vestibular stimulation can be applied to significantly diminish the depression score and restore vestibular activity in treatment-resistant major depression. Prof Brian Lithgow (Australia/Canada) titled “Predicting rTMS efficacy and Diagnosing Dementia type using Electrovestibulography” which will show how an increase in cerebrovascular symptomatology in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) can be detected in the vestibular system and be related to rTMS stimulus response efficacy.
Session Type
Symposium
Date
10/16/2021
Session Time
08:00 AM - 09:00 AM
Room
Accepted Symposia
Chair(s)
  • Sachin Nagendrappa (India)
Session Description
The majority of research studies reveal disparities in the accessibility to health care across the countries. And also have shown that there is a significant lack of resources in accessing health care. Reasons such as lack of trained mental health professionals, stigma, lack of education, poor allocation of resources are often noted barriers in LAMI Countries for accessing mental health care. Many of these challenges can be overcome by equitable distribution of resources, through advocacies, new policies, mental health education to reduce stigma and usage of telecare facilities in reaching the remote areas with minimal access to mental health care facilities. Speakers from India, Morocco, Nigeria, the Middle East, and North Africa will discuss the barriers in accessing mental health care, challenges, and potential solutions. Dr. Sachin will discuss the Indian perspective, the barriers in accessing mental health care, and potential solutions to overcome these challenges. From the Nigerian point of view, Dr. Peter will be discussing the challenges and consequences of the non-passage of mental health legislation in LAMI country and the role of early-career psychiatrists in advocacy. Dr.Chaimaa will discuss Mental health in Morocco from an ECP perspective and the urgent need for the new policy as a solution to address disparities and inequitable distribution of resources for mental health care.
Session Type
Symposium
Date
10/16/2021
Session Time
09:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Room
Accepted Symposia
Chair(s)
  • David Taylor (United Kingdom)
Session Description
There has been growing interest in when and how to stop psychiatric medications, an important element of high-quality prescribing practice. This interest has been generated by the findings that in some patients with psychotic disorders functional outcomes are improved by reducing or stopping medication. There has also been growing recognition that stopping antidepressants, benzodiazepines, gabapentinoids and z-drugs can be more difficult than once thought with the possibility of severe and long-lasting withdrawal symptoms in some patients. There is a lack of guidance on the best manner in which to reduce or stop psychiatric medication to reduce the risk of withdrawal effects or relapse. In this symposium we will outline work being done in a service for Clinical Pharmacopsychology that uses clinical measurements of the effect of psychotropic drugs on psychological functioning in the process of reducing and stopping antidepressants. This innovative approach involves assessment of wanted clinical effects, treatment-induced unwanted side effects and patients’ personal experience of change. We will also present principles, based on PET scanning of receptor occupancy, and analysis of clinical trials, that tapering of psychiatric medications from different classes (antidepressants, antipsychotics, and z-drugs) should probably be tapered more slowly than previously supposed (months and sometimes years), according to a hyperbolic pattern of tapering (smaller and smaller dose reductions as total dose gets lower, and down to very low doses before completely stopping), as has been for instance proposed for antidepressants and antipsychotics. The application of these principles to clinical practice will be outlined.
Session Type
Symposium
Date
10/16/2021
Session Time
08:00 AM - 09:00 AM
Room
Accepted Symposia
Chair(s)
  • Renato Antunes D. Santos (Canada)
Session Description
This symposium aims to address an important gap between fields. Often concentrated inside medicine and psychiatry other scholarly activities might receive less attention from the psychiatric community. We intend to gather specialists from different countries contributing to the interface between social science and studies concerning traumatic experiences and suicide. The speakers will address questions such as the mental health impact of being a refugee, having survived cancer, poverty and violent environments.
Session Type
Symposium
Date
10/16/2021
Session Time
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Room
Accepted Symposia
Chair(s)
  • Javier I. Escobar (United States of America)
Session Description
This symposium will highlight an international collaboration for the study of severe, disabling mental disorders in a special population of Colombia (“paisa” population). This is a close collaboration of investigators at the Universidad de Antioquia in Medellin, Colombia with investigators from Academic Institutions in the United States (University of California, University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers University). Our current research is examining the clinical presentation as well as environmental and genetic factors among individuals with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and severe major depression compared to those from a control group in individuals from the “paisa” population. Research evaluations include structured diagnostic interviews, specific cognitive testing and genetic studies. In this symposium, we will report on the history of this successful collaboration and present preliminary data from our ongoing research studies including aspects of the clinical phenomenology, including cognitive impairment across the various disorders. Also, we will describe new initiatives incorporating innovative methodologies (EMR analyses) for the study of very large samples of patients and controls that will inform future genetic research.
Session Type
Symposium
Date
10/16/2021
Session Time
12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Room
Accepted Symposia
Chair(s)
  • Eliot Sorel (United States of America)
Session Description
The Caucasus, in the intersection of Europe with the Middle East, constitutes a culturally-diverse area subjected to conflict and tensions for the most part of recent decades. The dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan for sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh reflects more than a century of ethnic conflict, and was the reason for a war in fall 2020, that reached a ceasefire while leaving thousands of casualties and injured and a fragile political situation. During the war and its aftermath, psychiatrists in Armenia and Azerbaijan have been addressing the mental health needs of their compatriots, especially war veterans, children, and healthcare workers. They have taken these responsibilities without the preparation and support needed for such post-disaster challenges. The Conflict Management & Resolution Section of the WPA (WPA-CMCR), founded in 1990 by Prof. Eliot Sorel and colleagues to explore the applications of psychiatry theory and practice to understand, manage, and resolve conflicts, has so far produced publications, presentations, and collaborations. After the start of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, young and senior members of the section started a mission to support psychiatrists in Armenia and Azerbaijan. The team reached out to early-career psychiatrists in both countries, talking to them during and after the war to understand their perspectives, worries, and challenges about the conflict and its impact on mental health, and discuss actions and collaborations needed to help solve the conflict and its consequences. This session will bring together the leading protagonists of this initiative, including WPA-CMCR members and early-career psychiatrists in Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Session Type
Symposium
Date
10/16/2021
Session Time
01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Room
Accepted Symposia
Chair(s)
  • Danuta Wasserman (Sweden)
Session Description
Zone 16 of WPA is a huge area and varies widely in resources in mental health system. However, common challenges have been found, including, the suicidal rates and implementation of suicide prevention strategies for all age groups. In this symposium, the first speaker (Dr. Nova Riyanti Yusuf, Indonesia) will present on “Early detection on suicidal ideation and risk factors among high school students in DKI Jakarta, Indonesia”. She found that students with high risk factor had a risk of 5.39 time greater in develop suicidal ideation than normal group. Her study emphasizes the importance of early detection to prevent suicide among adolescents. The second speaker (Dr. Prakarn Thomyangkoon, Thailand) will deliver a presentation on the topic of “Suicide in older adults: Current perspectives from Thailand”. As Thailand is now an aging society, therefore, suicidal behavior in older adults becomes a major concern. Moreover, there has been continually transforming of extended families to nuclear families, making the ageing population feel loneliness and social isolation. He emphasizes the need to detect and treatment depressive disorders in older age group. The last speaker (Dr. Ravivarma Rao Panirselvam, Malaysia) will give a talk on “Suicide prevention in Malaysia: A trust with hope and caution”. He will discuss the recent developments of suicide prevention in Malaysia and will highlight the initiatives of the national technical working group for suicide prevention alongside collaboration with civil society bodies. During Q&A session at the end, audiences will have chances to discuss and exchange their information with speakers.
Session Type
Symposium
Date
10/16/2021
Session Time
02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Room
Accepted Symposia
Chair(s)
  • Kerim M. Munir (United States of America)
Session Description
As the number of persons experiencing humanitarian emergencies soars globally, those with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) are at higher risk to experience adverse outcomes with limited identification of needs and available supports/interventions. In this symposium, we review the present status of children, adolescents, and adults with IDD facing complex humanitarian emergencies globally. First, we describe the UN framework consistent with the WPA Working Group remit on IDD for inter-sector collaborations in mainstreaming the care of persons with IDD within international processes endorsed by the mission of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affair (DESE) for achieving inclusion under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 that now also subsume the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Munir). Second, we will highlight partnerships with other professional organizations/NGOs including the work of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) special interest group on DD in the context of humanitarian emergencies with analyses of trauma and other comorbidities, available tools for screening, diagnosis, intervention, and examples of efforts to address the important “gap in humanitarian action” (Nasir). Third, we will describe a WHO field study identifying mental health and special education needs of Syrian refugee children with DD and their families. Since the start of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, there have been 7m displaced persons requiring humanitarian assistance distributed in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, and elsewhere, with unreachable special education, mental health, and unmet financial and social needs noted by the findings (Oner).