European Psychiatry - Volume 33 - March 2016

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24th European Congress of Psychiatry
EPA Forum: A common language in European psychiatry – can it be
achieved?
EF01
21st century psychiatry: The need for
a unitary framework
M. Maj
University of Naples SUN, Department of Psychiatry, Naples, Italy
While the plurality of approaches is a richness of psychiatry,
we need today a unitary framework in which the vast major-
ity of psychiatrists are able to place and recognize themselves.
An essential component of this framework should be the aware-
ness that a major outcome of research efforts of the past thirty
years is the notion that a simple deterministic etiological model
cannot be applied to mental disorders, which instead represent
the product of the complex interaction of a multiplicity of vul-
nerability and protective factors of different nature (biological,
intrapsychic, interpersonal, psychosocial). Most current significant
etiological research in psychiatry can be accommodated within
this framework, thus appearing much less chaotic, inconsistent
and fragmentary. This first level of the framework affects in a
probabilistic, not a deterministic, way the second one, that of neu-
robiological, cognitive and psychological intermediate processes. It
is unavoidable that different languages be used to describe these
processes, but these languages may be translatable into each other
to some extent. Furthermore, comprehensive pathogenetic models
usually require the integration of different languages. This second
level leads, again in a probabilistic way, to the third level, that of
symptoms, signs, cognitive dysfunctions and psychopathological
dimensions. These are the elements composing the fourth level,
the syndromal one. The ICD/DSM formulation of this fourth level is
not optimal, but it is the best we have at the moment. Certainly, the
fact that two major diagnostic systems exist in psychiatry adds to
the confusion and the uncertainty, and should be overcome in the
future.
Disclosure of interest The author has not supplied his declaration
of competing interest.
EF02
Outcomes of promotion, prevention,
treatment and care
M. Muijen
WHO European Office for Europe, Mental Health, Kopenhagen,
Denmark
The WHO European Mental Health Action Plan encompasses pro-
motion, prevention, treatment and recovery, within the context of
a model of mental health that proposes a set of socio-economic
and biological determinants that predispose to vulnerabilities and
increase the risk of disorders. These determinants also negatively
affect access to and quality of care. Such risk factors are shared
with common non-communicable disorders, increasing the risk of
morbidity and early mortality for people with mental disorders.
Mental health promotion and prevention actions should therefore
be addressing determinants such as alcohol and smoking. However,
suchdeterminants are not equally distributed in the population, but
cluster among vulnerable groups, such as those with a low income,
the unemployed and minority groups. These groups overlap with
the populations services struggle to reach. In addition, both primary
care and specialist mental health services struggle to identify and
treat people with co-morbidities. This suggests that connections
need to be established between public health, primary care and
specialist mental health services.
WHO is focussing on the strengthening of primary care and the
interface with mental health services. In particular, there is an
urgent need to screen people who present with symptoms of
NCDs or mental disorders for common determinants and co-
morbidities. Effective health promotion activities need to be offered
to populations at risk, in addition to universal health promotion
interventions such as taxation or advertising bans. Some examples
will be presented.
Disclosure of interest The author has not supplied his declaration
of competing interest.
EF03
Human rights and mental health care
– Can we find a common ground?
D. P ¯uras
Vilnius university, Department of Psychiatry, Vilnius, Lithuania
Future of psychiatry is discussed in the context of modern human
rights principles, evidence-based policies and sustainable develop-
ment goals.
After international community agreed on sustainable development
goals to be reached by 2030, there is a good opportunity to address
mental health as a priority and to substantially invest in promotion
of mental health and emotional well-being.
Psychiatry, as an influential specialty, needs to reconsider its strat-
egy in this context, and to rethink strengths and weaknesses of its
role and image.
Protection of dignity and human rights of persons with psy-
chosocial disabilities, in the post-CRPD framework, should become
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