The 27th European Congress of Psychiatry – EPA 2019
Dear Colleagues,
The 27th European Congress of Psychiatry, organised by the largest international association of psychiatrists in Europe, will take place between 6 and 9 April 2019 in Warsaw, the capital and largest city of Poland, a significant cultural, political and economic hub, where the historical old town has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the stock exchange ranks first among those of Central and Eastern Europe.
You will be truly fascinated by the history and atmosphere of Warsaw, which combines the influences of Western and Eastern Europe, and where tradition meets modernity. We will also have a nice opportunity to meet many colleagues from neighbouring countries such as Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and the Baltic countries.
The motto of the congress will be “Psychiatry in Transition: Towards New Models, Goals and Challenges”.
Psychiatry is facing a generative transition involving the organisation of mental health services, traditional approaches to diagnosis, models of care, and research paradigms. The implementation of community-based mental health systems in many countries, the increasing emphasis on person-centred research and care, the availability of scientific evidence substantiating the bio-psycho-social model, the clinical relevance of the diachronic perspective, and the effectiveness of e-mental health interventions represent meaningful examples of the ongoing transition.
Transition also involves the need to face challenges: lack of resources; inadequate personnel training for the implementation of new models and paradigms; the crisis of traditional concepts and organisation of families and communities; transcultural issues related to mass displacement; problematic internet use; and poor investments in research, provide good examples of the most challenging aspects of the present transition.