Professor Sue Bailey elected College President
Congratulations to Professor Sue Bailey OBE, who was elected President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Professor Bailey will take office from Thursday 30 June 2011, at the College’s International Congress in Brighton. Professor Bailey has previously been Registrar of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (2005–10) and since 1983 has been a Consultant Child and Adolescent Forensic Psychiatrist and Professor of Child Mental Health Policy at the University of Central Lancashire. Professor Bailey’s priorities as President will be to ensure that the College helps its Members to be inspirational leaders for clinical teams and to be respected across medicine. Among Professor Bailey’s priorities for the International Divisions is to enable them to develop their own programmes.
International Psychiatry Editorial Board
The Editorial Board of International Psychiatry is recruiting new members with a view to enhancing its pool of expertise. Editorial Board members will be required to contribute ideas for the development of the journal, to introduce new contacts, to assist with peer review and to submit papers for publication. They are also required to participate, either in person or by teleconference, in Editorial Board meetings, which take place four times a year.
To be considered for one of these positions, please submit a curriculum vitae and covering letter to ip@rcpsych.ac.uk. Please outline in the covering letter any relevant experience and your reasons for applying. The deadline for receipt of applications is 17 May 2011. Please refer to ‘The role of the board member’ (available at http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/pdf/IP_EditBoard_terms.pdf) before submitting your application.
Eurobarometer special report on mental health
Eurobarometer, the European Commission’s public analysis department, has published a special report on mental health. The main themes addressed in the report are:
the state of mental well-being – how well people feel mentally and physically
level of comfort at work – how secure people feel in their current jobs, whether they feel their skills match their current role and whether they feel they receive adequate recognition/respect for what they do
care and treatment – what help and treatment people have sought to ameliorate any mental health conditions they have experienced
perceptions of people with mental illness – how comfortable people feel about interacting with those with a mental health problem.
The full report can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_345_en.pdf
Bursary from the Faculty of the Psychiatry of Old Age
The College’s Faculty of the Psychiatry of Old Age has established an annual bursary to enable a psychiatrist from a low- or middle-income country to attend the 2012 Faculty Annual Residential Meeting (usually held in March) in order to give an oral or poster presentation, or deliver a workshop.
The bursary is intended to cover the cost of economy-class travel, accommodation, free registration and attendance at the conference dinner, up to a maximum of £1500. Informal mentors will be identified for the bursary holder, to enhance their introduction to Faculty members and their enjoyment of the meeting. Requests for more information and details of how to apply should be sent to ip@rcpsych.ac.uk
Pilot mental health outreach programme in Sindh
The Psychiatry Department at Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University in Pakistan, in association with Singh Doctors Association UK, the British Pakistani Psychiatrists Association and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, has launched a schizophrenia outreach programme in Larkano Sindh, Pakistan (the SOUL Project). This project addresses the stigma attached to long-term mental healthcare, both for the patient and for the family. The SOUL project aims to:
recognise, treat and manage identified patients with schizophrenia through a stepped-care approach, starting with home-based outreach treatment and with symptom resolution, stepping down to out-patient treatment
aid recovery of the patients by facilitating their absorption into the local employment/labour market, through collaboration with local chambers of commerce and industry
provide psychoeducation and awareness about schizophrenia to the family and local community
generate clinical, functional and economic evaluation outcomes.
Obituary: Charles Schuster
It is with great sadness that we inform you of the recent death of Dr Charles Schuster. Dr Schuster contributed to the work of the World Health Organization through its Expert Advisory Panel on Drug Dependence and Alcohol Problems from 1977 to 1998 and as a member of the Expert Advisory Panel on Drug Dependence (Dependence Liability) since 1998. He served on several Expert Committees, including the 33rd and 34th Expert Committees on Drug Dependence. Dr Schuster also founded the University of Chicago’s Drug Abuse Research Center. From 1986 to 1992, he served as the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a position from which he oversaw the development of grant and contract programmes to fund research into the aetiology, prevention and treatment of drug misuse, and its medical and social consequences. In 2000, he became Director of the Addiction Research Institute at Wayne State University, a position he held until his premature death. Dr Schuster made an outstanding international contribution to the field of addictions and international drug policy. He was a visionary leader with great personal charm, charisma and empathy for people in distress, whether through addictions or other mental illness. Deepest condolences go to his family and friends.