2-day long international psychiatrists conference starts Thursday

Bangladesh Association of Psychiatrists (BAP) is organising the 11th International Conference on Psychiatry (ICP) and 13 SAARC International Conference on Psychiatry 2022, Bangladesh, which will be held on 29-30 September 2022 at Radisson Blu Chattogram Bay View, Chattogram. 

Over 700 participants will be attending the conference this year, including over 300 psychiatrists from Bangladesh, around 50 foreign psychiatrists from all around the world, including UK, India, Nepal, Srilanka, Malaysia, Pakistan. 

A pre-conferencing briefing of that event was held on Tuesday evening at Modhumoti Hall, Hotel InterContinental by Bangladesh Association of Psychiatrists (BAP) sponsored by Everest Pharmaceuticals Ltd. 

The conference will be co-organized by the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), SAARC Psychiatric Federation (SPF), and Asian Federation of Psychiatric Associations (AFPA). 

Prof Dr Afzal Javed, president of World Psychiatric Association (WPA) and Prof Dr Md Waziul Alam Chowdhury, president of Bangladesh Association of Psychiatrists (BAP) along with all the executive members were present in the press conference. 

Dr Afzal Javed said, "We face two issues. First is policy makers. Second is civil society." 

Including Bangladesh, there are only four countries in the world who work for autism and mental health. About 75% people suffer from mental health issues before the age of 45. 

He added that religious practices and family etiquette reduce this problem to a great extent. At the same time the civil society should come forward. Education policy should also be developed, he added. 

Waziul Alam Chowdhury said, this conference is very important for the mental health of the people of Bangladesh and doctors. Research will be presented in this scientific conference. If you can implement what you say to the people of the country from here, it will play a big role in healthcare, he added. 

Associate Professor of National Mental Institute Dr Md Helal Uddin Ahmed said, "Mental health policy has been updated in 2022 and mental health legislation and strategy in 2018. A lot has been done on paper now it's time to act. At present 400-600 patients come to National Mental Health Hospital every day, but there is not enough manpower. There are 603 government and private centers in the country with adolescent friendly centres. Remote areas now have service. Where there is a living system." 

The theme of this year's conference is "Mental Health Care in Today's World: Challenges and Preventive Strategies". Lack of integration of community healthcare, inadequate budget and provision of psychotropic drugs, shortage of psychosocial intervention programs and no central health information system are among the many challenges faced for years now, especially in the developing countries. 

To overcome these challenges, BAP felt the need to expand preventive strategies and implement mental health care at all levels, from community to primary, secondary and tertiary. 

The International Conference on Psychiatry (ICP) is an official conference of BAP which is held every two years, since the year 2001 where all eminent psychiatrists and mental health professionals from all around the globe come together. It provides a great platform for exchanging knowledge and ideas, as well as making new connections and renewing old ones. 

BAP chooses unique venues representing Bangladesh for every ICP. This year the conference will be held in Chattogram, the port city of Bangladesh. 

In the midst of the hill tracts and waterfalls lined by the seashore, Chattogram city is a perfect blend of tranquility and natural beauty. The heavenly scenery will be truly inspiring and cathartic for the participants. 

Along with an enriched scientific session comprising of oral presentations, plenaries, symposia, workshops, poster presentations, there will be various other activities in the conference. BAP guidelines for the management of anxiety disorders and depressive disorders will also be launched in the conference.