584242 research-article2015
APY0010.1177/1039856215584242Australasian PsychiatryEditorial
Australasian
Psychiatry
Guest Editorial
Australian and New Zealand Psychiatry and the World Psychiatric Association
Australasian Psychiatry 2015, Vol 23(3) 207–209 © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1039856215584242 apy.sagepub.com
Helen Herrman Orygen, The National Center of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, and Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia, and: President Elect, World Psychiatric Association
P
sychiatry is facing large questions of identity, scope of practice and its place in healthcare worldwide.1 Its reputation is damaged by public uncertainties about diagnosis and treatment methods. Major international efforts to improve mental health and mental healthcare are going ahead without central involvement of the profession or its major associations. Yet the expertise and integrity of psychiatrists is indispensable to good healthcare in countries of all types. Our patients and their families need us to work alongside them in clinical practice, teaching, research and advocacy. We need representatives of psychiatry as central players in national and international debates and initiatives in mental health. This is a challenging time when psychiatry has to find a more confident way forward: promoting humanity and collaborative care together with the more effective search for novel therapies and implementation of evidence-based treatments. We need our national, regional and international associations to work together towards these goals. Australia and New Zealand are high-income countries with well-resourced health and mental health services when compared with low- and middle-income countries nearby in the Asia-Pacific region. Both countries have a relatively high ratio of psychiatrists to population numbers. Our systems of psychiatry training and mental healthcare are internationally renowned. Still there are shortages of psychiatrists in state-funded mental health systems, and in rural, remote and some city areas. Effective integration of care remains elusive for many.2 Significant needs for care for people with mental illnesses remain, especially for vulnerable groups, including people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island, Maori and Islander backgrounds, those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people living with serious and persisting mental illness, and young people with mental health problems and early onset of illness. Government initiatives in one or both countries include programs for youth mental health, early intervention, recovery and disability support (www.health.gov.au/mentalhealth). Individual psychiatrists and university and service-based groups in Australia and New Zealand are well linked
with colleagues in other countries and international associations. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) also has increasingly strong links with regional and global psychiatric associations and partner national associations. It aims to learn from and contribute to professional life and improved mental health systems at home and abroad.3 The umbrella international psychiatric association is the World Psychiatric Association (WPA; www.wpanet.org). This paper comments on the perceived advantages to be derived from strong links between the RANZCP and WPA, alongside links with other associations including regional and national societies and those supporting sub-specialty and interest groups. The WPA was established in 1950 as a strong and credible voice for the profession. It is an association of national psychiatric societies that aims to promote the advancement of psychiatry and mental health for all peoples of the world. It has 135 member societies in 117 countries. Overall it represents more than 200,000 psychiatrists. It is in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO) and has a joint work program with the WHO’s Department of Mental Health. The WPA has 65 scientific sections that aim to disseminate information and promote collaborative work in specific domains of psychiatry. It has institutional committees for development and review of ethical standards and practice, and for education, research and scientific publications. It produces books and educational programs and has developed ethical guidelines for psychiatric practice, including the Madrid Declaration, last updated in 2011. It organizes the World Congress of Psychiatry every three years. It also organizes international and regional congresses and meetings, and thematic conferences. Corresponding author: Helen Herrman, Orygen, The National Center of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, and Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, 35 Poplar Road (Locked Bag 10), Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia. Email: [email protected] 207
Downloaded from apy.sagepub.com by guest on August 14, 2015
Australasian Psychiatry 23(3)
The WPA aims specifically to: •• promote the development and observance of the highest quality and ethical standards in psychiatric care, teaching and research; •• increase skills and knowledge about mental disorders and how they can be prevented and treated; •• disseminate knowledge about evidence-based therapies and values-based practice; •• increase skills and knowledge about mental health and how it can be promoted; •• advocate for the dignity and human rights of the patients and their families, and to uphold the rights of psychiatrists; •• facilitate communication and assistance, especially to societies that are isolated or whose members work in impoverished circumstances. The success of this work, especially the core work of improving the quality and ethical standards in the practice of psychiatry and the promotion of human rights worldwide, depends on successful collaborations. These are vital to the WPA as an agent for change. As President of the WPA, I will be working closely with the WPA member societies, including the RANZCP. The RANZCP is one of the major constituent societies of the WPA. The engagement of the College (and its fellows) with the WPA action plans can be expected to bring strong mutual benefits from exchange of ideas and common activities. I will also be working to foster good working relationships with the WHO, other United Nations (UN) agencies, non-government organizations such as the World Medical Association and World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA), and regional and specialty groups in our profession. These collaborations are developed on the understanding that psychiatry is central to healthcare worldwide.4 It is important to keep in mind that the successful integration of psychiatry in healthcare has two preconditions. One is the development of best practices in working in partnership with consumers and family carers,5 as well as community and other professional groups. The other is the widespread understanding and adoption of early intervention in psychiatry, as in the broader practice of medicine.6 These developments depend on effective growth and dissemination of the clinical, humanitarian and scientific advances in modern psychiatry. In my time as President, the WPA will work with partners in an international drive to promote the central place of psychiatry in healthcare. It will do this by:
Podcast
1. continuing its pro-active support for and contribution to clinical excellence, education, research and publication in psychiatry: in primary healthcare, community mental health services, hospitals and private practice; 2. taking an international leadership role in supporting community mental healthcare,7 responding to people affected by adversity8 and promoting the human face of psychiatry; 3. forging and consolidating strong links between psychiatrists, community leaders, consumers and families, based on negotiation and mutual respect;5 4. engaging with member societies to facilitate the sharing of ideas, resources and experience; 5. taking a leadership position in promoting an appropriate gender balance in its work as well as the inclusion of people from all parts of the world.
Conclusions The mental health of people in Australia and New Zealand and in our region and beyond can be enhanced by strong partnerships between the RANZCP and WPA and its member societies. References 1. Maj M. From “madness” to “mental health problems”: reflections on the evolving target of psychiatry. World Psychiatr 2012; 11: 137–138. 2. Rosenberg SP and Hickie IB. Making activity-based funding work for mental health. Aust Health Rev 2013; 37: 277–280. 3. Psychiatrists RANZCP. Strategic Plan 20165–2017. Enhancing the mental health of our nations through leadership in high quality psychiatric care, 2015. 4. Herrman H. The central place of psychiatry in health care worldwide. Acta Psychiatr Scand 2014; 129: 401–403. 5. Wallcraft J, Amering M, Freidin J, et al. Partnerships for better mental health worldwide: WPA recommendations on best practices in working with service users and family carers. World Psychiatr 2011; 10: 229–236. 6. Herrman H. Early intervention as a priority for world psychiatry. Early Interven Psychiatr 2014; 8: 305–306. 7. Thornicroft G, Alem A, Antunes Dos Santos R, et al. WPA guidance on steps, obstacles and mistakes to avoid in the implementation of community mental health care. World Psychiatr 2010; 9: 67–77. 8. Tol WA, Barbui C and van Ommeren M. Management of acute stress, PTSD, and bereavement: WHO recommendations. JAMA 2013; 310: 477–8.
[email protected]
An interview with Professor Herrman Andrew Amos Psychiatric Registrar, Acute Care Team, Gold Coast Mental Health and Integrated Care, QLD, Australia
While international organizations such as the UN and the WHO are sometimes criticized when their lofty ambitions are imperfectly realized, projects like the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) provide a perfect illustration of the rapid progress that can be achieved
208 Downloaded from apy.sagepub.com by guest on August 14, 2015
APY0010.1177/1039856215584242Australasian PsychiatryEditorial
Australasian
Psychiatry
Guest Editorial
Australian and New Zealand Psychiatry and the World Psychiatric Association
Australasian Psychiatry 2015, Vol 23(3) 207–209 © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1039856215584242 apy.sagepub.com
Helen Herrman Orygen, The National Center of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, and Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia, and: President Elect, World Psychiatric Association
P
sychiatry is facing large questions of identity, scope of practice and its place in healthcare worldwide.1 Its reputation is damaged by public uncertainties about diagnosis and treatment methods. Major international efforts to improve mental health and mental healthcare are going ahead without central involvement of the profession or its major associations. Yet the expertise and integrity of psychiatrists is indispensable to good healthcare in countries of all types. Our patients and their families need us to work alongside them in clinical practice, teaching, research and advocacy. We need representatives of psychiatry as central players in national and international debates and initiatives in mental health. This is a challenging time when psychiatry has to find a more confident way forward: promoting humanity and collaborative care together with the more effective search for novel therapies and implementation of evidence-based treatments. We need our national, regional and international associations to work together towards these goals. Australia and New Zealand are high-income countries with well-resourced health and mental health services when compared with low- and middle-income countries nearby in the Asia-Pacific region. Both countries have a relatively high ratio of psychiatrists to population numbers. Our systems of psychiatry training and mental healthcare are internationally renowned. Still there are shortages of psychiatrists in state-funded mental health systems, and in rural, remote and some city areas. Effective integration of care remains elusive for many.2 Significant needs for care for people with mental illnesses remain, especially for vulnerable groups, including people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island, Maori and Islander backgrounds, those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people living with serious and persisting mental illness, and young people with mental health problems and early onset of illness. Government initiatives in one or both countries include programs for youth mental health, early intervention, recovery and disability support (www.health.gov.au/mentalhealth). Individual psychiatrists and university and service-based groups in Australia and New Zealand are well linked
with colleagues in other countries and international associations. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) also has increasingly strong links with regional and global psychiatric associations and partner national associations. It aims to learn from and contribute to professional life and improved mental health systems at home and abroad.3 The umbrella international psychiatric association is the World Psychiatric Association (WPA; www.wpanet.org). This paper comments on the perceived advantages to be derived from strong links between the RANZCP and WPA, alongside links with other associations including regional and national societies and those supporting sub-specialty and interest groups. The WPA was established in 1950 as a strong and credible voice for the profession. It is an association of national psychiatric societies that aims to promote the advancement of psychiatry and mental health for all peoples of the world. It has 135 member societies in 117 countries. Overall it represents more than 200,000 psychiatrists. It is in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO) and has a joint work program with the WHO’s Department of Mental Health. The WPA has 65 scientific sections that aim to disseminate information and promote collaborative work in specific domains of psychiatry. It has institutional committees for development and review of ethical standards and practice, and for education, research and scientific publications. It produces books and educational programs and has developed ethical guidelines for psychiatric practice, including the Madrid Declaration, last updated in 2011. It organizes the World Congress of Psychiatry every three years. It also organizes international and regional congresses and meetings, and thematic conferences. Corresponding author: Helen Herrman, Orygen, The National Center of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, and Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, 35 Poplar Road (Locked Bag 10), Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia. Email: [email protected] 207
Downloaded from apy.sagepub.com by guest on August 14, 2015
Australasian Psychiatry 23(3)
The WPA aims specifically to: •• promote the development and observance of the highest quality and ethical standards in psychiatric care, teaching and research; •• increase skills and knowledge about mental disorders and how they can be prevented and treated; •• disseminate knowledge about evidence-based therapies and values-based practice; •• increase skills and knowledge about mental health and how it can be promoted; •• advocate for the dignity and human rights of the patients and their families, and to uphold the rights of psychiatrists; •• facilitate communication and assistance, especially to societies that are isolated or whose members work in impoverished circumstances. The success of this work, especially the core work of improving the quality and ethical standards in the practice of psychiatry and the promotion of human rights worldwide, depends on successful collaborations. These are vital to the WPA as an agent for change. As President of the WPA, I will be working closely with the WPA member societies, including the RANZCP. The RANZCP is one of the major constituent societies of the WPA. The engagement of the College (and its fellows) with the WPA action plans can be expected to bring strong mutual benefits from exchange of ideas and common activities. I will also be working to foster good working relationships with the WHO, other United Nations (UN) agencies, non-government organizations such as the World Medical Association and World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA), and regional and specialty groups in our profession. These collaborations are developed on the understanding that psychiatry is central to healthcare worldwide.4 It is important to keep in mind that the successful integration of psychiatry in healthcare has two preconditions. One is the development of best practices in working in partnership with consumers and family carers,5 as well as community and other professional groups. The other is the widespread understanding and adoption of early intervention in psychiatry, as in the broader practice of medicine.6 These developments depend on effective growth and dissemination of the clinical, humanitarian and scientific advances in modern psychiatry. In my time as President, the WPA will work with partners in an international drive to promote the central place of psychiatry in healthcare. It will do this by:
Podcast
1. continuing its pro-active support for and contribution to clinical excellence, education, research and publication in psychiatry: in primary healthcare, community mental health services, hospitals and private practice; 2. taking an international leadership role in supporting community mental healthcare,7 responding to people affected by adversity8 and promoting the human face of psychiatry; 3. forging and consolidating strong links between psychiatrists, community leaders, consumers and families, based on negotiation and mutual respect;5 4. engaging with member societies to facilitate the sharing of ideas, resources and experience; 5. taking a leadership position in promoting an appropriate gender balance in its work as well as the inclusion of people from all parts of the world.
Conclusions The mental health of people in Australia and New Zealand and in our region and beyond can be enhanced by strong partnerships between the RANZCP and WPA and its member societies. References 1. Maj M. From “madness” to “mental health problems”: reflections on the evolving target of psychiatry. World Psychiatr 2012; 11: 137–138. 2. Rosenberg SP and Hickie IB. Making activity-based funding work for mental health. Aust Health Rev 2013; 37: 277–280. 3. Psychiatrists RANZCP. Strategic Plan 20165–2017. Enhancing the mental health of our nations through leadership in high quality psychiatric care, 2015. 4. Herrman H. The central place of psychiatry in health care worldwide. Acta Psychiatr Scand 2014; 129: 401–403. 5. Wallcraft J, Amering M, Freidin J, et al. Partnerships for better mental health worldwide: WPA recommendations on best practices in working with service users and family carers. World Psychiatr 2011; 10: 229–236. 6. Herrman H. Early intervention as a priority for world psychiatry. Early Interven Psychiatr 2014; 8: 305–306. 7. Thornicroft G, Alem A, Antunes Dos Santos R, et al. WPA guidance on steps, obstacles and mistakes to avoid in the implementation of community mental health care. World Psychiatr 2010; 9: 67–77. 8. Tol WA, Barbui C and van Ommeren M. Management of acute stress, PTSD, and bereavement: WHO recommendations. JAMA 2013; 310: 477–8.
[email protected]
An interview with Professor Herrman Andrew Amos Psychiatric Registrar, Acute Care Team, Gold Coast Mental Health and Integrated Care, QLD, Australia
While international organizations such as the UN and the WHO are sometimes criticized when their lofty ambitions are imperfectly realized, projects like the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) provide a perfect illustration of the rapid progress that can be achieved
208 Downloaded from apy.sagepub.com by guest on August 14, 2015
