Welcome to the 21st WCP Virtual Congress Program Scheduling

Mental illness represent 14% of the global burden of disease, and it is estimated that 85% of patients with a mental illness do not receive treatment. The shortage of psychiatrists, both in remote areas of high income countries, and in urban and rural areas, in low and middle income countries; was a well recognized problem that has only gotten worse since the pandemic outbreak. Increasing the competencies of primary care providers (i.e., family physicians, general practitioners, internists, gynecologists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants) seems a natural and necessary step, yet it is not an easy gap to close, since most training programs devote limited and insufficient time to psychiatric disorders in their regular curricula. In the meantime, the rates of depressive, anxiety, and substance use disorders have increased in 2020, calling for creative, effective and quick solutions. This session will present the experience of the University of Nebraska in the United States and the Asociación Mexicana de Psiquiatría in Mexico. Albeit dissimilar methodologies but with the same goals, the two entities developed a virtual curricula, an assessment program, and provided continued medical education credit hours. Lessons learned, opportunities for improvement and progress achieved will be presented.