MHIN Africa showcases mental health innovations at WPA2016

MHIN Africa recently took part at the World Psychiatry Association (WPA) International Congress that took place on 18-22 November 2016. This was the first time a WPA congress was being held in South Africa. This was a great opportunity for MHIN Africa to soak in the attention and have its debut at this prestigious event where these mental health practitioners shared their experiences, developed academic and research links and engaged in dialogue to develop and improve services in the continent.

African mental health innovations featured at WPA

From the diverse list of organisations and programmes from Africa, MHIN Africa showcased nine which are the most visited on the network at the moment. In no particular order, the innovations were:

• Strong Minds - Uganda

• Basic Needs - Ghana, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda

• The Friendship Bench Project - Zimbabwe

• CBM International - Sierra Leone

• PRIME - Ethiopia, South Africa, Uganda

• Integrated Approach to Addressing the Issue of Youth Depression - Malawi, Tanzania

• Primary Care 101 - South Africa

• Problem Management Plus - Kenya

• Rehabilitation Intervention for People with Schizophrenia in Ethiopia - Ethiopia

About the WPA International Congress

The Congress was hosted by the South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) in Cape Town on November 18 – 22, 2016. Under the theme: “Psychiatry’s Contract with society”. The main aim of the congress was to share research, clinical practice and policy development. Some of the delegates who attended the congress included scientific experts, psychiatrists as well as young and established mental health leaders and professionals from 137 societies in 118 countries.

Other events featuring MHIN Africa at the WPA Congress

On the first day of the congress on Friday, 18 November 2016, MHIN Africa was mentioned at a pre-congress meeting - WPA African Mental Health Forum. The topic for the forum was “Continental Alliance for Integrated Mental Health Care in Africa”.  MHIN Africa was made reference to by Dr Florence Baingana of WHO Sierra Leone, Prof Crick Lund from PRIME and Dan Stein from who all mentioned MHIN Africa during their respective discussions.

This was the first meeting of its kind in the WHO African Region and was co-chaired by Prof Dinesh Bhugra, WPA President and Dr Shekhar Saxena, Director of WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse. Some of the topics discussed included:

• Leadership and governance

• Health and social services

• Prevention and promotion

• Information, evidence and research

To make sure your organisation is also considered to represent progress in African mental health, become a member and register your and organisation on MHIN Africa.

MHIN Africa announced at Annual Alan J Flisher Memorial Lecture

Professor Oye Gureje announced MHIN Africa at the recent Annual Alan J Flisher Memorial Lecture as part of the lecture on Tuesday, 22 November 2016 at the Valkenburg Hospital, Cape Town. This will be a great opportunity to network and meet the brains behind MHIN Africa. The theme of the lecture was "Classification of Mental Disorders in the Context of Global Mental Health".