Advancing Psychiatric Practices: Collaborative Approaches and Innovations

The EPA Council of NPAs Symposium 2025, hosted by the Society of Psychiatrists, Narcologists, Psychotherapists, and Clinical Psychologists (SPNPPC) of the Republic of Moldova under the auspices of the 80th Anniversary Congress of USMF “Nicolae Testemițanu,” offered a high-impact academic exchange focused on the future of integrated mental health care.

Two keynote presentations shaped the scientific core of the symposium. Prof. Eka Chkonia (Georgia) delivered an evidence-based and practice-oriented lecture on interdisciplinary collaboration in medicine, highlighting how mental health care gains effectiveness when it is embedded into coherent pathways with primary care and other medical specialties. Her presentation emphasised shared clinical responsibility, early detection through front-line services, and the value of coordinated decision-making across disciplines. The talk was particularly relevant for countries advancing community mental health reform, offering concrete models and transferable strategies that resonate strongly with current developments in Moldova.

Prof. Simavi Vahip (Türkiye) expanded the discussion from clinical integration to system-level collaboration, focusing on cooperation across health and social sectors. Drawing on long-standing academic and organizational expertise, he illustrated how sustainable mental health outcomes depend on structured partnerships between psychiatry, community services, education, and social support systems. His contribution underlined that collaborative frameworks are not only administrative necessities, but active clinical tools that improve continuity of care, prevention, and recovery-oriented approaches.

Together, the two keynotes provided complementary perspectives — one grounded in cross-specialty clinical integration, the other in cross-sector public mental health collaboration — creating a coherent and forward-looking scientific narrative. The symposium stimulated engaged discussion among early-career psychiatrists, master’s students, and psychotherapy trainees, reflecting a shared commitment to modern, community-oriented, and evidence-based mental health care across Europe.

SPNPPC extended its sincere gratitude to Professors Eka Chkonia and Simavi Vahip for their outstanding scientific contributions, emphasizing that their expertise and openness to dialogue significantly enriched the symposium and strengthened professional ties across the communities.