Preliminary Scientific Programme

Tuesday, September 29th, 2026

 HALL CASTELLO
11:30-12:30Registrations
12:30-12:40Welcome & Introduction
12:40-12:50Opening Remarks
12:50-13:00Group Photo
13:00-15:00

Symposium 1: Quality of care and respect of rights of users

In collaboration with the Mediterranean Society on Mental Health supported by the programme QR of the Sardinian Autonomous Region

Chairpersons: Miguel Xavier (Portugal) – Federica Sancassiani (Italy)

Speakes: Thurayya Zreik (Lebanon) – Fatma Charfy (Tunisia) – Laura Loli-Dano (Albania) – Michela Atzeni and Cesar Aviles Gonzales (Italy) – Mohamed Elsheikh (Egypt)

15:00 – 17:00

Symposium 2: Suicide in the Mediterranean Area

In collaboration with the Mediterranean Society on Mental Health and Fondazione di Sardegna

Chairpersons: Mehmet Eskin (Turkey) – Rhym Ghacem (Tunisia)

Speakers: Mehmet Eskin (Turkey) – Antonio Preti (Italy) – Diego Primavera and Massimo Tusconi (Italy) – Dorian A Lamis (USA) – Michele Fornaro (Italy)

17:00 – 18:00Welcome Reception

Wednesday, September 30th, 2026

 HALL CASTELLO
08:00-09:00

Keynote Lecture 1

Eleonora Prina (Italy): Mental health care in Italy after Basaglia

09:00-11:00

Symposium 3: Evidence about new technologies and new approaches for rehabilitation, diagnosis and social inclusion in mental health

In collaboration with the Mediterranean Society on Mental Health and Fondazione di Sardegna

Chairpersons: Fabrizio Bert (Italy) – Oye Gureje (Nigeria)

Speakes: Giuseppe Carrà (Italy) – Serdar Dursun (Canada) – Goce Kalcev (North Macedonia) – Giulia Cossu and Alessandra Perra (Italy)

11:00 – 11:30Coffee Break
11:30-13:30

Symposium 4: Mental health in uncertain times: Political polarization, inequality and psychiatric distress

This symposium will examine how contemporary political polarization, growing economic inequality, and social uncertainty contribute to psychiatric disorders and psychological distress across diverse populations. Talks will explore the mechanisms linking sociopolitical stressors to mental health outcomes, identify vulnerable groups disproportionately affected by these dynamics, and discuss building individual and community resilience in politically turbulent times.

Chairpersons: Katherine Keyes (USA) –Corina Benjet (Mexico)

Speakes: Seth Prins (USA) –James Kirkbride (UK) – Frank Njenga (Kenya) – Girish Rao (India)

13:30-15:00Lunch break– Poster Viewing
15:00 – 17:00

Symposium 5: Trauma, forced migration and mental health

This symposium will examine approaches to ensuring human rights protection while delivering high-quality mental health care across diverse global contexts and healthcare systems. Talks will explore emerging frameworks for rights-based treatment, address systemic barriers to dignified care, examine international best practices, and discuss novel interventions that simultaneously advance therapeutic outcomes and uphold the fundamental rights and dignity of persons with mental illness.

Chairpersons: Elie Karam (Lebanon) – Solvig Ekblad (Sweden)

Speakers: Elie Karam (Lebanon) –Kimberly Hook (USA) – Lukoye Atwoli (Kenya) – Marianna Purgato (Italy) –Jeremy Kane (USA)

17:00-18:00

Keynote Lecture 2

Michael Ni (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China): Mental Health during and after Collective Actions

Thursday, October 1st, 2026

 HALL CASTELLOSTAMPACE 1 ROOMSTAMPACE 2 ROOM

08:00-09:00

Keynote Lecture 3

Dinesh Bhugra (UK): Human rights perspective

  

09:00-11:00

Symposium 6: Human rights and quality of care and treatment for mental illness across the globe: new perspectives

This symposium will examine approaches to ensuring human rights protection while delivering high-quality mental health care across diverse global contexts and healthcare systems. Talks will explore emerging frameworks for rights-based treatment, address systemic barriers to dignified care, examine international best practices, and discuss novel interventions that simultaneously advance therapeutic outcomes and uphold the fundamental rights and dignity of persons with mental illness.

Chairperson: Mauro Carta (Italy)

Speakers: Solvig Ekblad (Sweden) – Mvuyiso Talatala (South Africa) – Helen Herrman (Australia) – Soumitra Pathare (India) – Marissa de Guzman (The Philippines)

  
11:00 – 11:30Coffee Break

11:30-13:30

Symposium 7: Methodological advances in global mental health and addiction science and prevention

This symposium explores the latest science on methodological approaches in addiction research, including novel techniques for prevalence estimation in diverse contexts, and innovative treatment strategies. Talks will examine prevention strategies and guidelines especially relevant to low- and middle-income countries, discuss advances in data collection and surveillance methods, and present new frameworks for translating epidemiological studies into policy.

ChairpersonsHelen Herrman (Australia) & Viviane Kovess (France)

Speakers: Tim Slade (Australia) – William Axinn USA) & Stephanie Chardoul (USA) – Soraya Seedat (South Africa) –Josh Barocas (USA) – Huang Yueqin (China)

  
13:30-15:00Lunch break– Poster Viewing
15:00-17:00Oral Presentations SessionOral Presentations SessionOral Presentations Session

Friday, October 2nd, 2026

 HALL CASTELLO
08:00-09:00

Keynote Lecture 4

Tansella Award Winner

09:00 – 11:00

Symposium 8: EPA Epidemiology and IFPE

Prevention and treatment of mental health in the community

(Speakers names and presentation titles TBA)

11:00 -11:30Coffee Break
11:30-13:30

Symposium 9: Social media and artificial intelligence: applications in mental health surveillance, research, and treatment

This symposium will examine how social media and artificial intelligence can and inform mental health research through enhanced case identification, population surveillance, and epidemiological methods. Sessions will explore innovative research designs on how social media exposures create new risks for mental health outcomes, AI applications in treatment delivery, discuss machine learning approaches for detecting mental health conditions at scale, and evaluate the efficacy and scope of new interventions across diverse clinical and research settings.

Chairpersons: Lukoye Atwoli (Kenya) – Antonio Egidio Nardi (Brazil)

Speakers: Chen Shanquan (Hong Kong) – Joseph Maria Haro Abbad (Spain) – Chibanzi Mwachonda (Kenya) – Antonio Egidio Nardi (Brazil) – Corina Benjet (Mexico)

13:30-15:00Lunch break– Poster Viewing
15:00-17:00

Symposium 10: From child and adolescence to older age: new epidemiological findings across the lifecourse

This symposium will present new findings in epidemiological research examining mental health patterns and trajectories from adolescence through late life, highlighting critical developmental periods and age-specific vulnerabilities. Sessions will explore emerging findings on adolescent mental health trends, examine mental health challenges in aging populations, and discuss lifecourse approaches that illuminate how experiences across the lifecourse shape mental health outcomes across developmental stages.

Chairperson: Corina Benjet (Mexico)

Speakers: John Pamplin (USA) – Viviane Kovess (France) – Annelieke Roest (The Netherlands) – Josh Barocas (USA) – Ke Ning (Singapore)
17:00-17:30WPA Section Membership Meeting
17:30-17:45Closing Reception