Mental Health The Focus Of Three Major Conferences
The Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Otago is hosting three important mental health
conferences at the Arts Centre in Christchurch this week, beginning December 1.
The first conference, covers Psychiatric Research and Eating Disorders. The Australasian Society for Psychiatric
Research (ASPR) and the Australasian Society for Biological Psychiatry (ASBP) will be holding their Annual Scientific
Meetings on December 3, 4 and 5.
The ASPR meeting (Dec 4/5) will cover the theme of “Origins of Psychopathology” and will encompass gene/environment
interaction, the etiology of behaviour and classification of psychopathology.
The ASBP meeting (Dec 3) will focus on the growing international research into links between genetic make-up and
behavioural and psychiatric disorders. It will also look at how genetic research is enabling improved treatment of
psychiatric disorders through the targeting of specific medications (pharmacogenomics) to such conditions as depression.
A number of leading clinicians and researchers will present papers on a wide range of topics outlined in the
accompanying programme. International keynote speakers include Dr Robert Cloninger, Dr Kenneth Kendler, Dr Patrick
Sullivan and Dr Cynthia Bulik.
On December 2 the conference will also hold a day devoted purely to latest research into eating disorders. Keynote
speakers are international eating disorders experts, Dr Cynthia Bulik, currently Director of the Eating Disorders
Programme at the University of North Carolina and Professor Susan Paxton from La Trobe University
The third conference this week is the first ever national conference of mental health professionals working in adult
in-patient care. This is being held on Monday and Tuesday, December 1 and 2, also in the Arts Centre, and is titled
‘Acute Mental Illness-Specialised Treatment in the In-Patient Setting’.
Keynote speakers are Professor Philip Mitchell, head of the School of Psychiatry at the University of New South Wales
who has been widely published on bipolar disorder and depression. He will speak on in-patient treatment of acute mania.
Professor Pat McGorry from the School of Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne will present on acute in-patient care
in psychosis.
Programme for conference on Dec 1 & 2 attached, others to be faxed or available from below. Abstracts also available.