Statement about Ukraine

(Russian and Ukrainian version see below)

The World Association of Cultural Psychiatry (WACP) condemns all non-defensive military actions and has a longstanding concern for the mental health and wellbeing of migrants and refugees, including those fleeing conflict areas. In the last decades, many military conflicts have resulted in terrible loss of life and dislocations among civilian populations around the world.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is the most recent. Over the last few weeks, several million refugees, largely women and children, have fled from Ukraine or been displaced within the country. Thousands of casualties have been recorded and the destruction of cities has been  catastrophic. This is expected to result in hundreds of thousands of individuals who will suffer from anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, psychotic states, and suicidal ideation and behaviors. The effects on children and adolescents will be particularly severe. Further, many refugees face additional challenges of racism and discrimination.

 

WACP condemns all acts of killing, violence, and destruction inflicted on the peoples of Ukraine in this conflict and calls for the immediate cessation of all hostilities.

We also call on our members around the world and all mental health colleagues to provide culturally competent professional help and humanitarian assistance to the refugees and migrants displaced by this conflict and by other conflicts around the world.

The following resources on the care of migrants and refugees may be of help:

The World Mental Health Fact Sheet on Mental Health and Forced Displacement:

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-and-forced-displacement

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Portal for Refugees & Asylum Seekers: https://www.uel.ac.uk/our-research/research-school-psychology/refugee-mental-health- wellbeing-portal

World Cultural Psychiatry Research Review: https://usercontent.one/wp/www.worldculturalpsychiatry.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/8.- Careif-Position-statement-on-Migration-and-Mental-Health.final_.pdf?media=1645571425

The Royal Society for Public Health Geopolitical Determinants of Health: https://youtu.be/sUWn4-nllrM

The Officers and Board of Directors of the World Association of Cultural Psychiatry

 

RUSSIAN VERSION

Заявление об Украине

Всемирная ассоциация культуральной психиатрии (WACP) осуждает все военные действия, не связанные с обороной, и давно беспокоится о психическом здоровье и благополучии мигрантов и беженцев, в том числе бегущих из зон конфликтов.  В последние десятилетия многие военные конфликты привели к ужасным человеческим жертвам и перемещениям среди гражданского населения по всему миру.

Российское вторжение в Украину — самое последнее. За последние две недели несколько миллионов беженцев, в основном женщины и дети, бежали из Украины или были перемещены внутри страны. Были зарегистрированы тысячи жертв, а разрушение городов было катастрофическим. Ожидается, что это приведет к тому, что сотни тысяч людей будут страдать от беспокойства, депрессии, посттравматического стрессового расстройства, психотических состояний и суицидальных мыслей и поведения.  Последствия для детей и подростков будут особенно тяжелыми.  Кроме того, многие беженцы сталкиваются с дополнительными проблемами расизма и дискриминации.

WACP осуждает все акты убийства, насилия и разрушения, совершенные в отношении народа Украины в ходе этого конфликта, и призывает к немедленному прекращению всех боевых действий.

Мы также призываем наших членов по всему миру и всех коллег в области психического здоровья оказывать культурально компетентную профессиональную помощь и гуманитарную помощь беженцам и мигрантам, перемещенным в результате этого конфликта и других конфликтов по всему миру.

Могут оказаться полезными следующие ресурсы по заботе о мигрантах и беженцах:

Всемирный информационный бюллетень по психическому здоровью о психическом здоровье и вынужденном перемещении:

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-and-forced-displacement

Портал психического здоровья и благополучия для беженцев и просителей убежища: https://www.uel.ac.uk/our-research/research-school-psychology/refugee-mental-health-wellbeing-portal

Обзор исследований мировой культуральной психиатрии: https://usercontent.one/wp/www.worldculturalpsychiatry.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/8.- Careif-Position-statement-on-Migration-and-Mental-Health  .final_.pdf?media=1645571425

Геополитические детерминанты здоровья Королевского общества общественного здравоохранения: https://youtu.be/sUWn4-nllrM

Сотрудники и совет директоров Всемирной ассоциации культуральной психиатрии

 

Ukrainian Version

Заява щодо України

 

Всесвітня асоціація культуральної психіатрії (WACP) засуджує всі необоронні військові дії та давно турбується про психічне здоров’я та благополуччя мігрантів та біженців, у тому числі тих, хто тікає із зон конфлікту.  Протягом останніх десятиліть багато військових конфліктів призвели до жахливих людських жертв і дислокацій серед цивільного населення по всьому світу.

Останнє – вторгнення Росії в Україну. За останні два тижні кілька мільйонів біженців, переважно жінок і дітей, втекли з України або були переміщені всередині країни. Зафіксовано тисячі жертв, а руйнування міст стало катастрофічним.  Очікується, що це призведе до сотень тисяч людей, які будуть страждати від тривоги, депресії, посттравматичного стресового розладу, психотичних станів, суїцидальних думок і поведінки.  Особливо серйозними будуть наслідки для дітей та підлітків.  Крім того, багато біженців стикаються з додатковими проблемами расизму та дискримінації.

WACP засуджує всі акти вбивства, насильства та руйнування, заподіяні народу України в цьому конфлікті, і закликає до негайного припинення всіх бойових дій.

Ми також закликаємо наших членів у всьому світі та всіх колег з питань психічного здоров’я надавати культурально компетентну професійну допомогу та гуманітарну допомогу біженцям і мігрантам, переміщеним через цей конфлікт та інші конфлікти по всьому світу.

Допомогою можуть стати наступні ресурси з догляду за мігрантами та біженцями:

Всесвітній інформаційний бюлетень про психічне здоров’я та примусове переміщення:

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-and-forced-displacement

Портал про психічне здоров’я та добробут для біженців і шукачів притулку: https://www.uel.ac.uk/our-research/research-school-psychology/refugee-mental-health-wellbeing-portal

Звіт з досліджень Всесвітньої асоціації Культуральної психотерапії: https://usercontent.one/wp/www.worldculturalpsychiatry.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/8.- Careif-Position-statement-on-Migration-and-Mental-Health  .final_.pdf?media=1645571425

Королівське товариство громадського здоров’я, геополітичні детермінанти здоров’я: https://youtu.be/sUWn4-nllrM

 

Співробітники та Рада директорів Всесвітньої асоціації культуральної психіатрії

 

 

Stigma of mental illness and COVID-19

Stigma of mental illness and COVID-19 – Cultural perspectives: Webinar Report

Tian-Ming Zhang, Yu-Rong Ma, Mao-Sheng Ran, Hans Rohlof, Jie Li, Albert Persaud, Roberto Lewis-Fernández

Stigma of mental illness, a significant public health concern, has long been recognized as a major barrier to the successful treatment and recovery of persons living with mental disorders. Over the last two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has evoked fear in the general public, leading to additional stigmatization and discrimination, especially among individuals with mental condition who are less likely to access health services (Armitage & Nellum, 2020). In order to present a synopsis of the relationship between culture and stigmatization associated with the intersection of mental illness and COVID-19, and to explore a culturally informed framework for clinical practice, research, and policy-making, the Special Interest Groups on Culture, Stigma, and Discrimination and Cultural Psychiatry and the COVID-19 Pandemic of the World Association of Cultural Psychiatry were honored to invite experts from diverse cultural contexts to participate in a webinar held on December 10, 2021. These experts were Prof. Dinesh Bhugra, Ms. Melanie Escaño, Prof. Cécile Rousseau, and Prof. Winnie W.S. Mak. The four speakers shared informative data and experiences from diverse cultural perspectives.

Prof. Dinesh Bhugra, from King’s College London, presented clear evidence from the U.K. on longstanding social and economic inequalities by virtue of COVID-19. This review revealed there were substantial variations in infection and mortality rates across population from diverse ethnonational backgrounds largely related to their social circumstances, such as types of employment. The COVID-19 pandemic has also fueled racism and prejudice. Prof. Bhugra emphasized the need to focus on reducing structural racism and promoting awareness of sociocultural variation in the impact of the pandemic.

Ms. Melanie Escaño, a migrant from the Philippines living in the Netherlands, shared her personal story in response to the question of how COVID-19 impacts a migrant’s life. From Melanie’s narrative we learned that some government prevention and control policies do not appropriately protect vulnerable groups affected by COVID-19. The most effective way to address the pandemic is to adopt policies that guarantee that no one is left behind during the crisis.

Prof. Cécile Rousseau, from McGill University, shared international research findings from diverse cultural contexts that explored COVID-19-related discrimination, cumulative stress, and psychological distress. The data revealed that the pandemic has not only fueled existing inequities but has also generated specific forms of discrimination. Crisis responses should integrate anti-racism action plans, prioritize health and social equity, and always include a mental health dimension.

Prof. Winnie W.S. Mak, from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, applied a core concept of “interconnectedness” from the ecological model to clarify the intersectionality of mental illness, COVID-19, and stigma. Interconnectedness, defined as the perception of interdependent relationship, may also play a crucial role in alleviating suffering and stigma reduction. Compassion may mediate the effect of interconnectedness on stigma (Yu et al., 2021).

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over. According to the reports and narratives included in this webinar the impact also complicates coping with the stigma of mental illness. Both kinds of stigma are deeply affected by global and structural issues. Therefore, in-depth comparative work between different countries is needed to clarify the role of sociocultural and structural factors in creating vulnerabilities, resiliencies, and specific forms of coping; this is the strength of a cultural psychiatry approach. In the post-pandemic era, in the face of increasingly diverse and complex environments, we can no longer ignore the power of culture.

References

Armitage, R., & Nellums, L. B. (2020). The COVID-19 response must be disability inclusive. The Lancet Public Health, 5(5), e257.

Yu, B. C., Mak, W. W., Leung, I. W., & Chio, F. H. (2021). Reducing Stigma Through Interconnectedness and Compassion: a Buddhism-Based Approach to Reduce Stigma Toward People with Mental Illness. Mindfulness, 12(7), 1779-1790.

 

 

 

Podcast ‘Mind your Culture’

Read more

Webinar: Culture, Families & Psychosis

Read more

Travel Award Contest

Travel Award Contest for World Association of Cultural Psychiatry (WACP) members from low and middle-income countries who plan to attend the 2022 Rotterdam World Congress of Cultural Psychiatry

 

The WACP Board of Directors and the Netherlands Department of Transcultural Psychiatry are sponsoring WACP members from low and middle-income countries who plan to give an oral presentation at the Rotterdam 2022 World Congress of Cultural Psychiatry.

To select awardees, we are organizing a Travel Award Contest

Abstracts may be submitted individually to the contest but preference will be given to multi-presenter symposia. The abstracts must be structured according to Congress guidelines and include the following sections: introduction, methodology, results, discussion, and learning objectives.

WACP and the Transcultural Psychiatry Department will allocate a total of €20,000 to this contest. Funds may be used to meet the travel costs, hotel and admission fee.

The deadline for sending the abstracts will be the 28th of February, 2022. To be clear: the abstracts should also be uploaded before the 15th of February to the conference site, www.wacp2020.org

To enter the contest, please send your abstract to Dr. Hans Rohlof, psychiatrist, Officer and Treasurer of the WACP and the Transcultural Psychiatry Department, e-mail: hrohlof@gmail.com

WACP2022: FINAL EXTENDED DEADLINE ABSTRACT SUBMISSION!

15 February 2022

The organization of the 6th World Congress of Cultural Psychiatry has decided to extend the abstract submission deadline one last time to the 15th of February, 2022.

Abstracts can be submitted for a workshop, an oral presentation or a poster.

Please submit your abstract on www.wacp2022.org/submission

Need any help? > helpdesk@klinkhamergroup.com

Presentation of keynote speakers

The 6th World Congress of Cultural Psychiatry of the World Association of Cultural Psychiatry (WACP) will feature key note speakers Marie-Rose Moro, Joop de Jong, Annemiek Richters, Frank Kortmann, Amade M’Charek and Laurence Kirmayer. They will represent a range of relevant topics in cultural psychiatry, from clinical practice to theory and research and the impact of global developments.

 

Marie-Rose Moro

Joop de Jong

Annemiek Richters

Frank Kortmann

Amade M’Charek

Laurence Kirmayer

In-person or online

WACP2022 in Rotterdam will be held as an in-person congress. However, if there are any changes, you will be notified immediately. Please note that if your submitted abstract is approved, you are not automatically required to participate. Because of the uncertainties involved in COVID-19, the organization will be flexible with the conditions.

Contact information

If you have any questions, please contact info@wacp2022.org. Please find all information about the congress on our congress website www.wacp2022.org.

Mario Braakman

Forugh Karimi

Hans Rohlof

Simon Groen

 

 

 

 

Gladet conference, 7-8 July, 2022, Guadalajara, Mexico

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Stigma of mental illness and COVID-19 – Cultural perspectives

Stigma of mental illness and COVID-19 – Cultural perspectives

 

Webinar sponsored by the Special Interest Groups on Culture, Stigma, and Discrimination and Cultural Psychiatry and the COVID-19 Pandemic of the World Association of Cultural Psychiatry

You can watch the webinar now on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP6w9FlE_9w

Stigma of mental illness, a significant public health concern, has long been recognized as a major barrier to the successful treatment and recovery of persons living with mental disorders. Infectious diseases, including COVID-19, are also a crucial public health issue that can evoke fear in the general public leading to stigmatization of, and discrimination against, specific populations (e.g., quarantined people, front-line health workers, and persons living with mental disorders). Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic can cause severe psychological distress and mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Cultural contexts differ in the extent and specific characteristics of the stigma related to mental illness and COVID-19 and the strategies deployed to address them. Culturally congruent, effective interventions need to be implemented to reduce stigma related to these conditions in order to enhance public physical and mental health.

 In this webinar, which was held on 12/10.2021, we presented a synopsis of the relationship between culture and stigma associated with mental illness and COVID-19, and discuss a culturally informed framework for clinical practice, research and policy making.

Chairs:

Dr. Mao-Sheng Ran, MD, PhD, Chair, Culture, Stigma and Discrimination SIG, WACP

Dr. Hans Rohlof, MD, PhD, Chair, Cultural Psychiatry and the COVID-19 Pandemic SIG, WACP  

Prof. Roberto Lewis-Fernández, MD, President of WACP

Other members of the organisation: Prof. Jie Li, Dr. Joanna Zhyang, Dr. Tianming Zhang (张 天明) (China), Dr. Albert Persaud (UK). 

PROGRAM

8.00. Welcome.

Hans Rohlof, MD, PhD, Chair, Cultural Psychiatry and the COVID-19 Pandemic SIG, WACP 

Roberto Lewis-Fernández, MD, President of WACP

Moderator: Mao-Sheng Ran, MD, PhD, Chair, Culture, Stigma and Discrimination SIG, WACP

Presenters

1) 8.05 Dinesh Bhugra, MD

Emeritus Professor, Mental Health and Cultural Diversity at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London ,Past President, World Psychiatric Association

Global perspective on stigma and the pandemic, and effects on the minority groups in the UK

2) 8.20. Melanie Escaño

One of the founders of Filipino Migrants in Solidarity (FILMIS),Representative for Migrant Domestic Workers Network of the Dutch Federation of Labour Unions

Personal experiences with the pandemic and the social and psychological consequences

8.35. Questions and Answers

3) 8.45. Cécile Rousseau, MD

Professor, Division of Social and Cultural Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Canada

Title: COVID related discrimination, cumulative stress and psychological distress in Canada

4) 9.00 Winnie W. S. Mak, PhD

Professor, Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Title : We are all interconnected: Tackling stigma of mental illness during COVID-19 pandemic

9.15. Questions and Answers

9.25 Conclusions. Mao-Sheng Ran, MD, PhD

Contact us:  

Roberto.Lewis@nyspi.columbia.edu, msran@hku.hk, hrohlof@gmail.com

Call for Abstracts

We are pleased to announce the 6th World Congress of the World Association of Cultural Psychiatry (WACP2022)

from 15 – 17 September, 2022 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

The Preconference day takes place on Wednesday the 14th of September 2022.

 

WACP2022 is the most important event worldwide for cultural psychiatry, attracting colleagues from mental health and academia to discuss any topic related to cultural psychiatry and the impact of culture on mental health and illness. The central theme of WACP2022 is The Cultural Perspective in Psychiatry: Moving Forward to Meet the Needs of a Globalizing Society.

 

WACP2022 will take place at the Postillion Convention Center WTC in Rotterdam. The city of Rotterdam is one of the most culturally diverse cities of the Netherlands with Europe’s mainport, that connects continents. In the field of architecture, music, theater, film, and museums, Rotterdam has a cosmopolitan level of facilities.

 

Your input on the conference program is important to us and we invite you to submit an abstract for the WACP2022 World Congress. Abstracts can be submitted for a workshop, oral presentation or poster.

 

The online abstract registration module is now open and can be found here.

Submission deadline: 1st of January 2022.

Detailed instructions can be found here.

 

We look forward to your input and help in making WACP2022 a stimulating event with lots of networking opportunities. Do not hesitate to get in touch with ideas, suggestions, comments or questions you might have regarding the conference, its program or its organization.

 

In addition please have a look at our conference website: www.wacp2022.org for recent updates.

 

Looking forward seeing you all in 2022 at Postillion Convention Center WTC Rotterdam!

On behalf of the local organizing committee,

Mario Braakman

Forugh Karimi

Hans Rohlof

 

 

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The Cultural Perspective in Psychiatry

Re-conceptualizing Culture and Context to meet the Needs of a Globalizing World

Two webinars, free of charge

Organized by the Local Organizing Committee of the 6th World Congress of the World Association for Cultural Psychiatry in Rotterdam, the Netherlands

19 November 2021

During the past decades, there has been an increasing awareness of the role of culture and context in mental health service provision. With continued globalization, increased risk of global disasters, and structural inequalities, the next few decades will witness an ever-greater interest in cultural and structural factors that impact our patients’ mental health and social surrounding.  

In the run-up to the 6th World Congress of Cultural Psychiatry on 14-17 September 2022, the WACP organizes two webinars, in which four experts in the fields of cultural psychiatry and anthropology will elaborate on the topic of the congress, by addressing the following questions:

  1. What are, historically, the dominant approaches to conceptualize culture and context in theory and practice of cultural psychiatry?
  2. What are the main critiques on our current approach to culturally competent case formulation (for instance using the outline of the cultural formulation)?
  3. How can cultural case formulations be “recontextualized”, using a broader understanding of context that more rigorously takes into account the role of structural and systemic determinants of mental illness?
  4. What are the main challenges in this process?

Webinar 1:

Friday, November 19th 2021, 11 am – 12:15 pm CET

Presenters:

Mario Braakman, President-elect of the WACP and Professor of Transcultural Forensic Psychiatry, Tilburg University and Pro Persona, The Netherlands

Mihri Heval Özgen, Associate Professor, Leiden University Medical Centre and Parnassia Psychiatric Institute, The Netherlands

Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9t9ldkTKQPKEoU3UJ9ZVng

 

Webinar 2:

Friday, November 19th 2021, 8 – 9:15 pm CET

Presenters:

Laurence Kirmayer, James McGill Professor and Director, Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, McGill University, Canada

Mitchell Weiss, Professor Emeritus of Cultural Epidemiology, Swiss Tropical Institute, University of Basel, Switzerland 

Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_DJpK3X1aSIKPVwiN4Ddx6g

The webinars will also feature short video messages by a number of WACP experts, reflecting on the theme of the upcoming congress in 2022 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The Webinars are 75 minutes each and offered to you for free by courtesy by the Dutch local organizing committee of the 6th WACP World Congress and the Board of the WACP. Registration is required to participate