The 16th World Psychiatric Congress of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) was held recently in Madrid from 14-18 September 2014. A provisionally estimated number of 6700 psychiatrists across the world attended this meeting, including several South African psychiatrists who participated in committee activities and presented symposia and oral presentations. These included: Prof. Jonathan Burns (Department of Psychiatry, University of Kwazulu-Natal) who is also the Secretary of the WPA Section on Public Policy and Psychiatry, Prof. Dan Stein (Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, UCT), Prof. Werdie van Staden (Department of Psychiatry, University of Pretoria), Prof. Solly Rataemane (Department of Psychiatry, University of Limpopo) - the outgoing WPA Zonal Representative for Eastern and Southern Africa after completing two three-year terms and chair of the WPA Section on Conflict Resolution and Management, as well as Prof. Bernard Janse van Rensburg (Department of Psychiatry, University of the Witwatersrand) who has been elected as Secretary of the WPA Section on Religion, Spirituality and Psychiatry. Dan Stein, who celebrated his birthday during the congress, delivered one of the invited key-note lectures of the congress on “Anxiety Disorders: an integrated approach”.

Several symposia were organised by the local participants, including:

• South African symposium on diagnostic systems and local psychiatry (Christopher Szabo (Head of the Department of Psychiatry, University of the Witwatersrand), Gerhard Grobler (Department of Psychiatry, University of Pretoria), Mvuyiso Talatala (private practice at Lesedi Clinic, Soweto) and Bernard Janse van Rensburg.
• Symposium on “Global Mental Health Priorities” organised by Solly Rataemane, with speakers including Dr Saul Leven (CEO and Medical Director of the APA), Proff. Jack McIntyre, Michelle Riba, Elliot Sorel (USA) and Prof. Paul Summergrad, current APA President as discussant.
• An intersectoral symposium arranged by Bernard Janse van Rensburg between the three Sections on Philosophy in Psychiatry, Religion, Spirituality and Psychiatry, and Conflict Resolution, entitled “Philosophical and practical aproaches to the management and resolution of conflicts.” Participants included Prof. John. Cox (UK and WPA Section on Religion, Spirituality and Psychiatry), Dr. Peter Verhagen (Netherlands, outgoing Chair WPA Section on Religion, Spirituality and Psychiatry), Werdie van Staden and Bernard Janse van Rensburg.  

Signing the contract for the WPA International Congress in Cape Town 2016, during the recent World Congress in Madrid:
Prof. Tarek Okasha (WPA), Dr. Gerhard Grobler and Dr. Mvuyiso Talatala (SASOP)

Exhibition stand of the WPA International Congress in Cape Town 2016
during the World Psychiatric Congress Madrid 14-18 September 2014

Mr. Rowan Moss, Scatterlings MD at the exhibition stand of the WPA International Congress,
Cape Town 2016 in during the World Psychiatric Congress Madrid 14-18 September 2014

At the exhibition stand of the WPA International Congress in Cape Town 2016
during the World Psychiatric Congress Madrid 14-18 September 2014:
Mvuyiso Talatala, Christopher Szabo and Bernard J van Rensburg