A gist of the 3-day Indian Psychiatric Society conference held in Vizag

The 73rd Annual National Conference of Indian Psychiatric Society (ANCIPS), was held in Vizag from 24 March-26 March 2022. The last time the conference was held in Vizag was 37 years ago. The theme for the conference was ‘Bridging Minds…Connecting Generations’.

On 24 March 2022, Justice Lakshmana Reddy inaugurated the three-day conference held at Vizag Conventions at Madhurawada. Experts from all over the world came down to attend the conference. Drug and alcohol problems in society, students’ stress and issues associated with suicide, depression and anxiety problems, and old age problems such as memory loss and dementia were some of the focus areas that were discussed by the experts during the conference. Along with a keynote address followed by lectures, the conference included activities, 95 symposiums, and 17 workshops.

“The conference was a great experience to attend and know the recent updates. It helped us, as psychiatrists, to plan our research clearly around public ailments”, said Dr. Ramesh Babu, a neuropsychiatrist from Vizag. He also said that the topics discussed were of immense importance and relevance. The topics discussed focused on new approaches in alcohol deaddiction, legal issues in psychiatry, and the role of cognitive behavioural therapy in modern psychiatry.

Post the effects of COVID-19, the need for mental health awareness has risen multifold. The need to encourage teleconsultations was also discussed at the conference and the IPS was ready to assist in the operation of the centers. The zoom fatigue, increased screen time due to the rise of OTT and social media usage, and work from home (WFH) mode have added to the list of stress inducers for people. The aim of the Indian Psychiatric Society conference in Vizag is also to remove the social stigma surrounding people’s hesitations to reach out to therapists or psychiatrists for help.

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