Women's Mental Health
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About
The Women's Mental Health (WMH) Section main purpose is to provide objective research findings and to inform health practitioners, researchers, policy makers, and the public about disparities between women and men in regard to risk, prevalence, presentation, course, and treatment of mental disorders.
The WMH section aims to promote international and interdisciplinary collaboration between psychiatrists , mental health practitioners and government institutions so that appropriate sex- and gender-based interventions can be developed and used to enhance women’s overall wellbeing.
The WMH section has already published a position statements on the role of violence and discrimination in the genesis of mental health problems in women as well as a curriculum to be used in clinical and academic centres. These 2 documents have been approved and published in 5 languages.
Another matter of importance for the WMH section is that women’s mental health issues are always on the agendas of the thematic, regional and world WPA conferences. Finally the WMH targets to ensure a significant presence of women within WPA scientific and executive committees.
Section Officers
Chair:
Florence Thibaut
Address: Psychiatry/Addictive Disorders
University Hospital Cochin (Site Tarnier)
89 rue d'Assas, 75006 Paris, France
University Paris
E-mail: florence.thibaut@aphp.fr
Co-Chair:
Mehnaz Zafar
Address: Consultant Psychiatrist and Head of Community Psychiatry Services
Al Amal hospital, Emirates Health Services
E-mail: mehnaz.ali@ehs.gov.ae; mehnazdoctor@gmail.com
Secretary:
Krishna Patel
Address: Psychiatrist (SAS Doctor - General Adult)
North Westminster CMHH,
7A Woodfield Road,
London W9 2NW
United Kingdom
E-mail: kkrruusshhnnaa@gmail.com
Section Advisors
Advisor
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Natalia Semenova
Address: Associate Professor
Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University
Moscow
Email: niyami2020@gmail.com
Advisor
Gail Robinson
Address: Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto
Email: gail.robinson@utoronto.ca
>> Please click here to see the Section Members list
Upcoming Section Activities
Online Educational Course Run by the International Association for Women Mental health on Perinatal Mental Health
Course title: Psychotropic Medications in Pregnancy and Lactation
Course description: The course provides you with in-depth and up-to-date information and tips of practice. It also offers a 15-hour CME credit hours granted by the American Association of Continuing Medical Education (AACME). As a self-learning online course, it gives you the advantage of learning at your own pace and to study as many times as you need in order to be able to upon successful scoring of the knowledge assessment test upon completion of your study.
These extensive modules were developed by:
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Dr Gihan ELNahas, M.D., IAWMH Secretary and Member of the WPA Women's Mental Health Section
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Prof of Psychiatry, Head of Liaison Psychiatry Unit, Head of Women Mental Health Program, Head of Tobacco Control and Cessation Unit, Chair CME Committee, Institute of Psychiatry-Ain Shams Medical School, Cairo, Egypt
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Florence Thibaut, M.D., Ph.D., IAWMH Immediate Past President and Chair of the WPA Women's Mental Health Section and Professor of Psychiatry, University of Paris Cité, University Hospital Cochin, INSERM U1266, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Paris, France.
To learn more about the course and how to register to the course please follow the links below:
Or click on the QR code below:
Past Section Activities
Webinar: Women alcohol and substance use disorder including perinatal period
Where: Online (see Zoom link below)
When: 10th March 2025, 16.30-18.00
How to join: Use this Zoom link
More information: Can be found on the EPA website
Webinar programme:
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16:30 – 16:40 | Tamas Kurimay – Welcome and introduction
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16:40 – 16:50 | Arnt Schellekens – Context and presentation of the speakers
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16:50 – 17:10 | Florence Thibaut – Presentation: “Alcohol use disorders during pregnancy and peripartum”
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17:10 – 17:20 | Q&A and discussion
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17:20 – 17:40 | Jan K Melichar – Presentation “Long-Acting Injectable Buprenorphine, Opioid Use Disorder and Pregnancy”
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17:40 – 17:50 | Q&A and discussion
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17:50 – 18:00 | Tamas Kurimay & Arnt Schellekens– Wrap-up and conclusions
The 10th World Congress of Women's Mental Health
Bangalore, INDIA
Date: 5th to 8th March, 2025
Venue: Convention Centre, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, INDIA
Theme: Inclusion and Integration across the Lifespan
Abstract Submissions are Open for Oral and e Posters until the 30th of September 2024
Early Bird Registration until the 31st of October 2024
Highlights include:
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Special program for Early Career Professionals including Registration Fee Bursaries for LAMIC
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Lived Experience presentations and discussions
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Multiple Session Formats highlighting recent themes in Women's Mental Health - Plenary talks, Ask the Expert, Panel Discussions, Workshops, Case Conference, Films, Conference Fringe with book readings and Art workshops
Website: https://www.iawmh2025.org/
This photo shows the WPA members of the Women’s Mental Health Section who participated in the 10th World Congress on Women’s Mental Health in the NIMHANS in Bangalore India coordinated by Prof. Prabha Chandra, the current President of the International Association of Women’s Mental Health.
This congress was held around the International Women’s day. It was very successful and very well attended. Congratulations to Prof. Prabha Chandra!
World Congress of Asian Psychiatry which was held in conjunction with WPA and attended by Dr. Danuta at Bali, Indonesia from 4-7th December, 24. It was World Congress of Asian Psychiatry which was held in conjunction with WPA and attended by Dr. Danuta at Bali, Indonesia from 4-7th December, 24. It was Menaz Zafar’s honor, co-chair of the WPA women’s mental health section to voice the issues pertaining to the mental health of women across lifespan and the challenges for accessing mental health care for vulnerable women.
The WPA Women Mental Health Section will be running a number of Symposia at this years WPA 24th World Congress of Psychiatry in Mexico
The full details can be viewed here.
WFP Regional Congress Psychotherapy, Creativity, and the Arts
Where: Palazzo Marco Polo, Aula Magna, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
When: 18-19th October, 2024
Theme: Psychotherapy, Creativity and the Arts
Website: https://fondazionemassimofagioli.it/progetto/psychotherapy-creativity-and-the-arts/
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October 2023 - Scientific & Education Programme focusing on the International Collaboration in the field of Healthcare and Neuropsychiatry Supervised by:
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Republican Specialized Scientific & Practical Medical Center for Mental Health of the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan and the International Centre for Education & Research in Neuropsychiatry (ICERN) of the FBSEU Samara State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of Russia
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The programme included:
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Women’s mental health challenges in the XX1st Century and Women and Addiction, both by Prof. Florence THIBAUT (Chair of the Women's Mental Health Section of the WPA, University Paris Cité, University Hospital Cochin (AP-HP), Institute of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Paris, France)
- 30th October 2023 - Varenna Foundation's event on the topic of "Female behavioural addictions" in Milan, Italy. To download the slides by Marc Potenza (Yale University (USA) professor) click here.
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14th November 2023 - Ruby Castilla was invited as a Keynote Speaker at the U23 Fest at Alma Mater in Colombia: Universidad Industrial de Santander. Her conference title was: "Glass ceilings: why despite our advances does the gap persist? "
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8th April 2024 (during the 32nd Congress of the EPA in Budapest) - Scientific meeting in collaboration with the Women's Mental Health Section of the European Psychiatric Association. The programme included:
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Welcome and Introduction by Prof. Tamas Kurimay (Chair of the Women Mental Health Section of the European Psychiatric Association Head of the Buda Family Centered Mental Health Centre, Department of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Rehabilitation Teaching Department of Semmelweis University, Budapest Hungary)
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Women’s mental health is everybody’s business: current challenges, some solutions by Prof. Florence Thibaut (Chair of the Women's Mental Health Section of the World Psychiatric Association, University Paris Cité, University Hospital Cochin (AP-HP) INSERM U1266, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurosciences Paris France
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UEMS and opportunities to mainstream women's mental health across Europe by Dr. Marisa Casanova Dias (President of the European Union of Medical Specialists Psychiatry Section Secretary of the European Psychiatric Association Section of Women and Mental Health, Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK)
Recommended Reading
The Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Perinatal Mood, Anxiety, and Related Disorders have been published online in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.
From the CANMAT website, you can also access the Patient and Family Guide: Seeds of Hope. in English and in French.
BMJ Public Health Journal: What all physicians should know about women’s health: a Delphi study