WPA Review Q4 2023

Dear Friends,

As we welcome in the new year, I am happy to share with you the fourth edition of our WPA eNewsletter – WPA Review, which includes some of the work the WPA has been able to complete during last quarter, and an introduction to the Action Plan for my triennium which you can read in full on the WPA website.

This Action Plan is designed to gain traction and set a precedent for extending mental health advancements past the boundaries of psychiatry and medicine and into the very fabric of society. Good mental health is pivotal to individual and collective decision-making, harmonious relations, and thriving communities – it is the foundation for a brighter future for all.

The United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, are blueprints for the construction of a sustainable, inclusive, and prosperous world.

The WPA Action Plan builds on the United Nations SDGs through the positive reciprocal relationships between improved mental health, decreased poverty and hunger, good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, decent employment, sustainable cities and communities, and accountable, inclusive, strong institutions.

One of the most critical SDGs for the WPA is Partnerships to Achieve the Goal, which highlights the importance of collaborative efforts. Promoting mental health and well-being requires trans sectoral cooperation from all pockets of society – governmental, private, civil, and everyone in between, including healthcare, public health, sustainability, climate action, labour, housing, education, financial, philanthropic, and community organizations. Through such partnerships, it is possible to leverage the pooled resources, reach, and expertise of multiple stakeholders to effectively address mental health issues at the systemic, not only individual, level.

Realising the aforementioned concepts within the WPA necessitates advancing the image of psychiatry and the role of the psychiatrist. If the WPA aspires to effect systemic change in the promotion of mental health and the prevention of mental health disorders, we must start with changing our own role in that system. Psychiatrists must lead the conversation about evidence-based prevention and treatment possibilities for mental health problems, but also discover innovative ways to encourage non-health sectors of society to join that conversation.

Within the WPA, we must strengthen our identity by looking for common ground, mutual understanding, and respect for our differences between Member Societies. As a proactive and transformative step towards a more inclusive and culturally competent field of psychiatry, the EDIT guidelines will be applied to all WPA activities, including Standing Committees, the Committee on Ethics, ACRE, and the WPC Scientific Program.

The EDIT principles that guide my Action Plan while maintaining the highest standards of Intellectual and Scientific Excellence stand for: Equality across genders, ages and ethnicities; covering Developmental stages from childhood to adulthood and beyond; Inclusion of under-represented groups; and Transcultural awareness and perspectives.

This Action Plan intends to boost the mental health of patients, psychiatric staff, and the general public through encouraging and enabling psychiatrists and the field of psychiatry to embrace the new leadership role in society.

I do hope you enjoy reading WPA eNewsletter and we would like to thank you for all of your contributions. WPA remains as always committed to supporting our components and thanks you all for the ongoing support you provide to us in return.

All my best,
Danuta

Prof. Danuta Wasserman
WPA President

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