The 32nd European Congress of Psychiatry took place in Budapest, Hungary, 6–9 April 2024. This time, the motto of the congress was Mental Health: Open and Inclusive! More than 4000 participants from over 100 countries participated. Hui Wu reports.
Professor Geert Dom (Boechout, Belgium), President of the European Psychiatric Association (EPA), delivered the Presidential Lecture at the opening ceremony. Professor Dom emphasized that now is the pivotal moment for mental health to take centre stage in Europe and highlighted the EPA’s Manifesto for the EU Elections taking place on 6–9 June, 2024.
In the Plenary Lecture on “The Role of Europe in Global Psychiatry”, Professor Peter Falkai (Munich, Germany) addressed the unmet needs for mental health globally and in Europe. He highlighted three common challenges: heterogeneity and lack of sufficient mental health care, insufficient healthcare workforce and insufficient research of mental health. These challenges must be addressed collectively. Additionally, ongoing conflicts, climate change and stigma are exacerbating the situation, necessitating collaborative efforts to improve it.
In the Core Symposium on “How to implement preventive psychiatry”, Professor Celso Arango (Madrid, Spain) addressed the limited interest in preventive interventions in psychiatry compared to other medical specialties. He emphasized that a priority in the forthcoming years should be directed towards “very early” interventions. Targeted interventions during developmentally sensitive periods can reduce the occurrence of mental disorders or alter their progression toward less severe manifestations. Primary prevention interventions proven to be cost-effective should already be globally implemented, extending beyond the confines of mental health.
Loneliness in childhood and first-episode psychosis
Dr. Covadonga Díaz-Caneja (Madrid, Spain) and colleagues reported an observational, case–control study, based on the AGES-CM cohort, including patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) age 7–40, their first-degree relatives, and an age- and sex-matched sample of controls in seven university hospitals in the region of Madrid. 285 patients with FEP (32.6% female, age 24.50 ± 6.2 years) and 261 controls (48.7% female, age 25.93 ± 5.5 years) were included and loneliness in childhood was associated with increased odds of FEP (adjusted odds ratio; aOR: 2.17, 95% CI [1.40–3.51], p = 0.002). The effect of the association was stronger in females (aOR: 4.74, 95% CI [2.23–10.05], p < 0.001) than in males (aOR: 1.17, IC 95% [0.63–2.19], p = 0.623). In females with FEP, loneliness in childhood was significantly associated with increased odds of receiving a diagnosis of other psychosis (aOR: 0.155, 95% CI [0.048–0.506], p = 0.002) relative to a schizophrenia spectrum disorders diagnosis. In the FEP sample, loneliness in childhood was associated with greater severity of positive and affective symptoms and worse functioning.
Silexan for a major depressive episode
Dr. Siegfried Kasper (Vienna, Austria) and colleagues presented their results from a multi-centre, double-blind, randomised, placebo- and reference-controlled Phase III Trial (ISRCTN36202964) that investigated the antidepressant efficacy of Silexan in patients with a major depressive episode compared to placebo and Sertraline. Adult patients (≥18 years) suffering from a major depressive episode of mild to moderate severity according to ICD-10 were included. Participants were randomised to 80 mg Silexan, 50 mg Sertraline, or placebo once daily over 8 weeks. The primary outcome is the change of the Montgomery-Asberg-Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) total score between baseline and week 8. The full analysis set consisted of 498 patients. Between the start and end of treatment, the MADRS total score decreased by 12.1 (13.3, 11.0) points (adjusted mean, 95% confidence interval) in patients treated with Silexan, by 12.6 (13.7, 11.5) points in patients treated with Sertraline, and by 9.95 (11.1, 8.77) points under placebo. In both active treatment groups responder and remission rates were higher than in the placebo group (p < 0.05). Results of the secondary endpoints were in line with the results of the primary endpoint.
Mental health conditions in children during the war in Ukraine
Prof. Igor Martsenkovsky (Kyiv, Ukraine) and colleagues reported a cross-sectional survey investigating the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder and its comorbidities at different stages of experiencing a traumatic experience among 785 teenagers displaced from war-torn regions of Ukraine. They reported a sharp increase in mental health issues within 6–12 months of displacement, including prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder from 9.8% to 21.9%, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder from 10.2% to 12.6%, depressive disorders from 22.3% to 33.3%, anxiety disorders from 30.8% to 11.5%, and conduct disorders from 15.4% to 18.0%.
Hui Wu