Wisconsin Parkinson Association

In 2024, the WPA launched Education and Psychiatry, an official e-journal representing the organization's efforts to strengthen psychiatric education and promote global knowledge exchange. This initiative aligns with the strategic priorities outlined in the WPA Action Plan 2023-20261-3, and is further supported by the WPA's Blueprint for Advancing Psychiatric Education and Scientific Publications4. The launch of Education and Psychiatry responds to pressing international needs: rising global mental health demands, critical shortages in the psychiatric workforce, and the call for accessible, culturally relevant, educational platforms. Led by the WPA Committee on Education and Scientific Publications, Education and Psychiatry is a peer-reviewed e-journal dedicated to innovations in psychiatric education and international collaboration. Since the publication of its first issue in June 2024, the journal has attracted submissions from all continents, showcasing the diversity of psychiatric training systems, pedagogical and adult learning approaches, and professional challenges across the globe. The journal is grounded in the belief that educational transformation is essential to addressing the global mental health workforce crisis – a priority highlighted in the WPA's strategic planning documents1, 4, and the WPA Global Study on Psychiatric Training5. It promotes scalable and equitable models of psychiatric education, especially encouraging contributions from under-represented colleagues, including those in low- and middle-income countries, where publishing remains more challenging4. The scope of Education and Psychiatry encompasses diverse content types, including country reports, special issue interviews with global leaders, research updates, digital education innovations, and policy-oriented perspectives. The journal highlights contributions across psychiatry subspecialties and educational methodologies, with thematic foci, such as artificial intelligence in psychiatric training and postgraduate curriculum reform. Thematic issues have honoured prominent figures, such as Profs. N. Sartorius and A. Okasha, both of whom offered important historical reflections, insights into present-day events, and visions for the future of psychiatry and mental health. These interviews were published in celebration of their 90th birthdays. The articles, released ahead of print, have already generated thousands of reactions and feedbacks on social media, reflecting strong global engagement with the journal's content. Looking ahead, the editorial team is actively collaborating with the WPA Education Portal to enhance the journal's multimedia capacity and expand access to educational content globally4. The WPA Education Portal, a well-established online platform, offers a wide range of freely accessible learning resources – including modular courses, webinars, clinical toolkits, and e-handbooks – designed to support psychiatric education and professional development across diverse settings. It is currently undergoing comprehensive content and information technology upgrades to improve functionality, expand multilingual access, and deliver a more user-friendly and efficient learning experience. Education and Psychiatry is more than an e-journal; it is a collaborative project that embodies the WPA's commitment to equity, innovation, and educational excellence in global mental health. As a collective platform for sharing expertise and fostering systemic change, it plays a vital role in shaping the future of psychiatric education worldwide. We invite all WPA Member Societies, Scientific Sections, and professionals to contribute to and engage with this evolving community of learning.

Abstract Date Presented 04/04/2025 Loneliness is a pervasive problem for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Even people with PD who participated in group exercise classes experience loneliness (33.19%), and loneliness is a significant contributor to variance in quality of life. Primary Author and Speaker: Laura A. Swink Additional Authors and Speakers: Katie Pritchard Contributing Authors: Laura A. Swink, Dominic Diprinzio, Katie Pritchard, Jodi Brown, Delisa Novak, Cory L. Christiansen, Mark Manago

In 2019, the WPA set up an Expert International Advisory Panel for Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), as part of a presidential initiative1 linked to the WPA Action Plan 2020-20232-4. Here we present an update on recent activities related to that initiative. The WPA has promoted several symposia and keynote/plenary lectures at international conferences on EIP models in LMICs, their clinical effectiveness, cultural contextualization, and implementation challenges. These conferences included the 21st World Congress of Psychiatry (virtual, October 2021); the WPA/UK National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Webinar on EIP in LMICs (December 2021); the WPA Thematic Conference "Public Health and Associated Opportunities" (Lahore, Pakistan, March 2022); the 22nd World Congress of Psychiatry (Bangkok, August 2022); and the WPA Thematic Conference "Early Intervention across the Lifespan" (Athens, June 2022). Some recent examples (illustrative, not an exhaustive list) of EIP programmes in LMICs include the Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF)'s dedicated EIP service in Chennai, India5, developed in collaboration with the Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychosis in Montreal6; the University of Chile High-risk Intervention Program for Ultra-High-Risk Youth7; and a pilot EIP service in Malawi8. Understanding that inadequate mental health workforce, fragmented health care systems and scarcity of research and implementation capacity are significant barriers to introducing such programmes in LMICs, the Warwick-India-Canada (WIC) network was formed with a shared strategic vision to reduce the burden of psychotic disorders in resource-poor settings9. This network brought together knowledge and expertise of four internationally recognized institutions: the University of Warwick, UK; the McGill University, Canada; the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India; and the SCARF, Chennai, India. The largest cohort of first-episode psychosis cases in LMIC settings was recruited and followed through the WIC programme at SCARF and AIIMS. A comprehensive package of biopsychosocial care, ready to use in any LMIC setting, has been developed. The integration of faith/traditional/indigenous healing with mental health services in LMICs appears a promising way for community detection of untreated psychosis, but there are significant challenges in such collaborations. Trusting relationships are difficult to build, ongoing training and supervision beyond the project timelines are hard to deliver, and sustainability is more easily promised than achieved. The COllaborative Shared care to IMprove Psychosis Outcome (COSIMPO) trial10 assessed the effectiveness of a collaborative shared care (CSC) for psychosis delivered by traditional healers and primary health care providers, compared to enhanced care-as-usual, in Ghana and Nigeria. Participants randomized to the CSC model had significantly lower symptom scores at 6-month follow-up. CSC led to greater reductions in overall care costs. Such models offer the prospect of scaling up across LMICs. A new programme of such collaborations is under way in Nigeria and Bangladesh. Digital technology can play a vital role in overcoming resource and infrastructure limitations in LMICs11. The WIC early psychosis study9 co-designed the Saksham app for people with schizophrenia and their caregivers. The app is ready for public roll out in India. Telepsychiatry offers another innovative approach to reaching individuals in rural regions who may otherwise not have access to treatment. Several models of telepsychiatry have been launched in India: the SCARF STEP tele-psychiatry model12; the psychiatristonweb application13; the Ganiyari model; and the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) hub-and-spoke model14. Emerging evidence suggests that these models improve medication and appointment adherence, and lead to reductions in relapses and fewer hospitalizations.

As the COVID-19 pandemic persists and millions are impacted by war and economic unrest, it is critical that mental health services receive support1-4. Despite the pressing need, there remains a significant gap in access to services and an ongoing shortage of mental health workforce, especially in low- and middle-income countries5. In the WPA Action Plan 2020-2023, capacity building and promotion of psychiatry among medical students has been an important pillar6. To this aim, a WPA Working Group on Medical Students was created and launched in December 2020, with the support and attendance of the WPA President and medical educators from Qatar, the US, Canada, Pakistan, India, Australia, Mexico and the UK. The remit of this Working Group includes four components: to identify opportunities for promoting psychiatry as a career among medical students; to identify organizations and individuals interested in participating and promoting WPA's Action Plan in nurturing psychiatry among medical students; to liaise with other WPA Working Groups regarding medical students; and to support medical students around the world7. In order to address the growing needs for mental health workforce, educators must approach the stigma about becoming a mental health professional8. To this end, the Working Group produced a “Stigma” video featuring medical students from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, Egypt, Ghana, Indonesia, Nepal, Portugal, Thailand, Turkey and South Africa, discussing the impact of stigma on pursuing a career in psychiatry. A central theme was the need to speak up to address myths about mental health and dismantle implicit or explicit bias against people with a mental health disorder. This video is available in English, French, Spanish and Russian on the WPA website, so that medical educators can share it with their trainees and medical students. In addition to the video, the Working Group is continuing to develop free, open access online modules for psychiatric educators. E-learning has emerged as an increasingly important tool for medical student education during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it provides a flexible environment where students can learn at their own pace9, 10. The topics covered by the modules are “Medical students wellbeing and selfcare”, “Stigma in psychiatry – barriers and solutions”, and “Introduction to psychiatry – what and why of psychiatry”. These modules were developed by international teams of psychiatry faculty and medical students and are available on the WPA Education Portal11. The Working Group has organized several in-person events to promote psychiatry among medical students, foster discussions about well-being, and offer career mentorship. The Group visited the Siriraj Hospital faculty and medical students during the 2022 World Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, to share online resources and conduct a burnout exercise among the undergraduate medical students. Members of the Working Group also organized events for medical students at the Thematic and Regional WPA Conferences in Karachi, Pakistan, and Kolkata, India in 2023. To complement the in-person conferences, the Working Group is fostering global engagement of medical students around the world through essay competitions, art competitions, and video competitions centered on psychiatry themes. Regarding the essay competition, the Working Group received more than 150 entries from 39 different countries on the topic of “Breaking the silence: how is stigma a barrier to mental health”. The top 16 essays selected by an international panel of psychiatrists were published in a WPA e-book. An art competition was organized during the WPA Thematic Congress in Lahore, Pakistan, in March 2022, featuring undergraduate and postgraduate medical students and allied health students interested in psychiatry. Finally, at the WPA Regional Congress in Kolkata, India, in April 2023, a brief video competition was organized on the theme “The importance of psychiatry in the medical field”. Twenty-seven videos were submitted by undergraduate medical students from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The Working Group is also active in scholarship regarding undergraduate medical education and psychiatry. The activities are accessible on the dedicated section of the WPA website (www.wpanet.org/wg-on-medicalstudents). Future directions include: a) to organize additional essay competitions to promote psychiatry as a career; b) to publish a survey about psychiatry curriculum in medical education across medical schools in different countries; c) to engage in virtual and in-person activities to promote psychiatry among medical students and to address burnout among students; d) to liaison with regional and international organizations to promote psychiatry; e) to deliver presentations at WPA congresses and other national and international conferences; and f) to implement social media and video campaigns to promote psychiatry.

Sylvaine Leroux prend le relais d’un accompagnement d’une collègue éducatrice qui est dans l’impasse avec une dame et son fils. Cet accompagnement, marche après marche, permet de passer d’une situation bloquée qui génère une grande souffrance chez Mme à une mise en mouvement qui facilite la reprise en main de ce qui est important pour elle. Mme est davantage actrice et ne subit plus les événements.