Projects

THE CONGRESS ON MENTAL HEALTH:MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE XXI CENTURY

 

 

 

 
The Congress will focus on the creation of favorable environment that is conducive to maintaining mental health through the consolidated action of experts at the interdisciplinary and intersectoral levels.
Mental health is one of the most intriguing, complex and persistently relevant issues in the world, which is linked to the most fundamental aspects of human life, and therefore goes beyond the boundaries of purely professional discussion.
The Congress convenes international experts from various spheres of public health, psychiatry & psycho-therapy, psychology & social security, science & education, art & culture, sport & physical fitness, economics & law as well as government, business & community sectors leaders to open a dialog, to build connections, to increase knowledge, to exchange best practices, and to deliver a concerted stance on mental health maintenance.
 
 

THEMATIC FIELDS

 
Thematic Field 1. Prevention in mental health maintenance
 
Topics for Discussion:
 
  • National mental health prevention models. Basic concepts and principles for mental health prevention. Mental health monitoring in countries and ethnic groups. Effectiveness of regional mental health prevention and promotion strategies. State regulation of the mental health system. Federal targeted programs in the mental health maintenance field. Preventive medicine and maintaining mental health. Inter-institutional measures to prevent mental disorders. Assessing the cost effectiveness of preventive measures in the mental health maintenance field. State and non-state funding. Public policy on maintaining mental health. Organizing the coordinating bodies and management system when taking inter-institutional measures in the mental health maintenance field. Management structure of the mental health maintenance system. Institutional models of a mental health maintenance system. Involving patients, professional and nonprofessional nongovernmental organizations and the population as a whole in the mental health maintenance system. Raising public awareness on mental health issues.
  • Factors affecting mental disorders. The most vulnerable populations. Cultural factors affecting mental disorders. Biological and genetic factors affecting mental disorders. The role of reproductive medicine. The link between physical and mental illnesses. Socioeconomic, socio-political and ecological factors and the prevalence of mental disorders. Gerontology and mental disorders. Physical activities & sport: impact on mental health. Gender-based approaches. Healthy eating. Psychological factors affecting mental disorders.
  • Models of preventive programs for maintaining mental health. Maintaining child and adolescent mental health. Training parents to recognize risks to child and adolescent mental health. The prevention of psychosocial problems in families with infants and young children. Reducing the prevalence of suicidal behavior. Turning theory into practice: mental illness prevention programs for children and adolescents, women, the unemployed, low incomes earners, children without parental care, migrants and refugees, the elderly, and other sectors of the population. Communications skills and personal growth training. Family mental health. Stress management techniques. Drug addiction prevention. Mental health maintenance at home and in the workplace. Professional training of mental health maintenance specialists.
 
Thematic Field 2. Psychiatry in Today’s World
 
Topics for Discussion:
 
  • Regional models and national policies. Practices of national governments guidance, standards, planning, and assessment of psychiatry service quality. Regional models of psychiatry legislation. Standards for psychotherapeutic, psychological, and social security services within the field of psychiatry. Prevalence of mental disorders in different countries and ethnic groups. Approaches for modernization. Models for humanizing psychiatry and mental health care. Clinical discipline or an institution open for cooperation at the interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral levels. Institutional models for integrating psychiatry into public health care, social security and other sectors. Government and public control.
  • Contemporary approaches to diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. Contemporary classification of mental disorders. Brain research methods. Biology of mental disorders. Biological therapy. Psychopharmacology and psychopharmacotherapy. Psychoneuroendocrinology and psychosomatic medicine. Clinical psychology: modern diagnostic and psychocorrection technologies. The patient-as-partner principle. Ethnic, cultural, religious and social traditions of patients: approaches to treatment. Psychotherapy and psychotherapeutic approach to working in a multi-professional team. Cooperative approaches to group psychiatrists, psychotherapists, psychologists, and social workers. Psychodynamic therapy, cognitive and behavioral therapy. Individual and group psychotherapy. Family therapy. Contemporary approaches to rehabilitation. Psychosocial therapy and psychosocial rehabilitation. Occupational rehabilitation. Social and cultural rehabilitation. Social integration of people with mental illness.
  • Organization of psychiatric services. The human factors: professional training of psychiatrists, psychotherapists, psychologists, social workers. Professional burnout. Standardization, assessment and quality control of psychiatric, psychotherapeutic, psychological and social services in the mental health field. Mental health financing. Mental health legislation. Access to mental health services. Cost effectiveness of mental health services. Innovations in the design and construction of mental health facilities. NGOs and voluntary organizations in mental health field.
 
Thematic Field 3. Human Rights in Mental Health
 
Topics for Discussion:
 
  • National approaches to problems relating to mental health stigma and discrimination. Human rights legislation for people with mental health diagnoses. Stigmatization of psychiatry & psychiatrists, and other mental health care professionals.  Mental health stigma towards mentally ill. Information, awareness-raising and educational campaigns to combat the mental health stigma. Mental health sufferers and their families in mental health maintenance programs. Destigmatization as part of interinstitutional and inter-sectoral measures.
  • The role of the media in mental health stigma. Boosting the public’s mental health literacy. Public access to information. Destigmatization measures. Formation of public perceptions of the mentally ill. Increasing public tolerance towards people with mental disorders. Ethical & philosophical principles. Myths about mental health and the mentally ill. Raising media awareness. The responsibility of journalists. Institutional ways of working with journalists on stigma issues. Shifting the focus of reporting on the mentally ill: promoting information about the achievements of contemporary mental health services and mental health professionals. Boosting the prestige of psychiatry and psychotherapy. Cooperation between mental health practitioners and the media. Press offices at mental health facilities.
  • Quality of life for the mentally ill. The principle of partnership in patient-doctor relationships. Monitoring of the legal position of mental health inpatients. Discrimination. The psychiatric and psychological education for patients and their families. Housing problems affecting people with mental illness. Social disability criteria for people with mental illness. Finding work for people with mental illness. Social adaptation of people with mental illness. Voluntary engagement with mental health support. Volunteer non-governmental organizations grouping sufferers and their families. Self-stigma. Legal aid for people with mental illness and their families.
 
WHO ARE INVITED
 
  • Leading experts (both scientists & practitioners) in the fields of public health, psychiatry, psychotherapy, psychology, narcology, social security, politics, science and education, culture and arts, physical fitness and sport, economics & law, and internal affairs;
  • Leaders of national governments representing ministries or departments in the fields of healthcare, labor and social security, science and education, culture and arts, physical fitness and sport, economics & law, and internal affairs;
  • Universities;
  • Business & community sectors leaders (including NGOs and voluntary organizations);
  • Media;
  • Volunteers in psychiatry.
 
Registration for the II Congress on Mental Health: Meeting the Needs of the XXI Century will be available in early March, 2017
 
Please visit the Congress's website to access online registration for the congress program, including detailed information and registration options: www.mental-health-congress.ru/en/