What We Do
Advance psychiatry and mental health for people all over the world
The WPA works with its members, partners, and components around the world to promote mental health and to encourage the highest possible standards of clinical practice and ethical behavior in psychiatry. Through its education programs, meetings, publications, and scientific sections, it aims to increase knowledge about mental disorders and to grow the skills and knowledge necessary to prevent and treat them.
The association works to disseminate knowledge about evidence-based therapy and values-based practice; to be a voice for the dignity and human rights of patients and their families; and to uphold the rights of psychiatrists where they may be challenged. Most importantly, it acts to facilitate communication and provide assistance to societies who are isolated or whose members work in impoverished circumstances.
The WPA works with its members, partners, and components around the world to promote mental health and to encourage the highest possible standards of clinical practice and ethical behavior in psychiatry. Through its education programs, meetings, publications, and scientific sections, it aims to increase knowledge about mental disorders and to grow the skills and knowledge necessary to prevent and treat them.
The association works to disseminate knowledge about evidence-based therapy and values-based practice; to be a voice for the dignity and human rights of patients and their families; and to uphold the rights of psychiatrists where they may be challenged. Most importantly, it acts to facilitate communication and provide assistance to societies who are isolated or whose members work in impoverished circumstances.
WPA Programmes and Initiatives
Suicide prevention is a crucial component of global mental health strategies. Historical crises have shown that societal stress and anxiety can lead to increased suicide rates. Addressing these challenges requires early intervention and continuous support, both of which are core elements of the BIC program.
Explore the 2023-2026 WPA Action Plan
See previous Action Plans and their initiatives
The 2023-2026 WPA Action Plan focuses on
- Implementation of evidence-based therapies through the Specialist Corner
- Improvement and preservation of mental health through the adoption of healthy lifestyle choices illustrated in the Healthy Lifestyles Hub.
- Research, and improved communication of knowledge and ideas.
These three key objectives are being realised through a number of programmes and initiatives, some of which are highlighted below.
The Specialist Corner: Advances of science and their application in clinical practice
This Corner will serve as a hub to summarise advancements in clinical psychiatry,
public mental health, and ethics, while fostering diversity and inclusiveness.
The Healthy Lifestyles Hub: Promotion of healthy lifestyles to improve mental health
The Healthy Lifestyle Hub is geared towards emphasising the importance of physical
activity, nutrition, and sleep habit among psychiatric patients and staff.
Research
This WPA Action Plan prioritises research on public health (Healthy Lifestyles) and
clinical care (Suicide Prevention) as well as fostering international and intercontinental research
collaboration in its mission to address global mental health challenges.
Communication: Removal of language barriers
This Action Plan takes an active approach towards language diversity to ensure that
important information is accessible to all of its 250,000 psychiatrists. Patients, their family members
and caregivers, and the general public will also benefit from removal of language barriers to
information in the Specialist Corner, ACRE materials, the WPA eNewsletter, and elsewhere.
Equality, Lifespan Development, Inclusion, and Transcultural Perspectives (EDIT)
Recognising the evolving needs of geographically diverse populations of different
genders and ages, the President has introduced an initiative dedicated to Equality, Lifespan
Development, Inclusion, and Transcultural perspectives (EDIT) to mirror, consequently, those
perspectives in WPA activities.
The WPA Action Plan and the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals
The WPA Action Plan 2023-2026 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.
Ongoing Programmes and Initiatives
WPA Action Plan initiatives often have long-term goals or evolve to serve a continuous purpose. As a result,
some become permanent, collaborative programmes within the WPA community.
International Collaborations
The WPA will continue from previous triennia its valuable activities with international professional
associations in the fields of psychiatry, neurology, and public mental health, including:
· Collaborations with Service Users and Family Carers organisations, the World Health Organization (WHO)
· Continuing its ACRE (Advisory Committee on Response to Emergencies) to facilitate aid to Member Societies.
· Collaborations with Service Users and Family Carers organisations, the World Health Organization (WHO)
· Continuing its ACRE (Advisory Committee on Response to Emergencies) to facilitate aid to Member Societies.
Advisory Committee on Response to Emergencies (ACRE)
Through the ACRE (Advisory Committee on Response to Emergencies), the WPA facilitates practical and
concrete aid to Member Societies and develop evidence-based materials to help First Aiders encounter
acute crises and life-threatening situations appropriately and immediately.
Advocacy & Special Projects
Through its standing committee on Ethics and Review, as well as the tireless work of its Executive
Committee, the WPA is a voice for modern psychiatry. Whether it is supporting colleagues and concepts in
parts of the world where psychiatry remains rooted in regressive theories, advocating for mental health
support in times of crisis, conflict or disaster, or using its unique position to share local learnings
on a global scale, WPA is a champion for mental health and for the role of the modern psychiatrist
within it.
International Collaborations
Through its Education Portal, WPA seeks to enhance education and training opportunities for
psychiatrists, health professionals, students of relevant specialties, service users and carers all over
the world. The WPA Education Portal provides a connection
between trainers and trainees no matter where
they are in the world, enabling the transfer of knowledge and skills through a variety of multi-modal
learning opportunities. Training resources are available on a range of topics in a variety of languages
and are accessible to any learner with an internet connection.
International Collaborations
Through its Education Portal, WPA seeks to enhance education and training opportunities for
psychiatrists, health professionals, students of relevant specialties, service users and carers all
over
the world. The WPA Education Portal provides a
connection
between trainers and trainees no matter where
they are in the world, enabling the transfer of knowledge and skills through a variety of
multi-modal
learning opportunities. Training resources are available on a range of topics in a variety of
languages
and are accessible to any learner with an internet connection.
- Neuropsychiatry Special Interest Group
- Geopsychiatry Special Interest Group
- Medical Students Special Interest Group
- Public Mental Health Special Interest Group
WPA Task Forces (Working Groups)
Work was carried out throughout the previous triennium within Task Forces and Working Groups. For more
information on some of the work completed by these task forces in 2020-2023, see links below.
- Public Mental Health
- Child, Adolescent &
Youth Mental Health
- Addressing Co-Morbidity in Mental and
Physical Health
- Capacity Building
- Continuation and Completion of
previous Action Plans Work
- Partnership with other Professional Organisations & NOGs
How We Do It
WPA Scientific Sections
The Sections are the scientific backbone of the WPA. They cover practically every aspect of psychiatry and enjoy a great degree of independence within the framework of the WPA Statutes and By-Laws. Under the supervision and guidance of the Secretary for Sections they produce symposia, publications, educational programs and consensus statements.
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WPA Educational Programs
The educational activities of the association and distribution of educational programs are coordinated by the Secretary for Education. Three areas of focus support WPA’s foundational goal of sharing practical skills and knowledge across the globe: using e-technology and tools to reach and educate more psychiatrists and their communities across the globe (especially in LMIC); enhancing opportunities for face-to-face learning through the provision of travel grants and fellowships; and providing learning resources for patients, their caregivers and communities, and other key stakeholders.
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WPA Publications
WPA is in the unique position of being able to draw on the diversity of its membership base to create publications that span geographical boundaries, cultures, disciplines and schools of thought. Guided by the Secretary of Publications, WPA publications play two key roles – the first is to disseminate practical and theoretical knowledge that can help drive improvements in psychiatric science and practice; the second is to promote and increase the visibility of psychiatry, mental health and the work WPA is doing worldwide. Notably, WPA produces World Psychiatry, the number one ranked journal in Psychiatry and the number one journal in the Social Citation Index.
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WPA Congresses and Events
The WPA was established to support the creation of the World Psychiatric Congress, and while its purpose and role has expanded beyond that over the years, its scientific meetings remain a cornerstone of its value to the psychiatric community. In addition to partnering with its members to host the now annual WPA World Congress of Psychiatry, WPA also supports development of thematic and regional congresses across the world. In addition, the WPA co-sponsors a number of national scientific meetings hosted by its members, components and other reputable organisations.
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