Welcome to the 21st WCP Virtual Congress Program Scheduling

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.