EPA participates at the EBC Brain Innovation Days 2024
The EPA participated at the fourth annual edition of the Brain Innovation Days, organised by the European Brain Council, in Brussels. The event opened with a meeting at the European Parliament on 12 November, before the main conference on 13 and 14 November 2024.
EPA President, Geert Dom, spoke at a panel discussion on protecting the planet, preserving our health. Professor Dom recalled initiatives such as the EPA Task Force for 2023 – 2025 and the Position Paper on Climate Change and Mental Health in 2024. He also shared important perspectives from persons with environmental anxiety and psychiatrists, whose primary mission to help people in distress is complicated by the increasing influence of climate change on patient wellbeing. Research has consistently found that a 1°C increase in mean monthly temperature was associated with a 1.5% increase in incidence of suicide outcomes. Professor Dom also raised the importance of increasing the accessibility of care and the awareness of carers to mental health issues related to climate factors and environmental emergencies.
“We need to make help for these patients more accessible. For patients with climate anxiety, it is very good that general practitioners on a primary care level, can offer counselling to these people.” Prof. Geert Dom
Sandra Kooij, EPA Section Chair for Neurodevelopmental Disorders Across the Lifespan, also lead a session on clinical guidelines and medical education. The session focused on the linkages between neurodevelopmental and mental disorders, a significant topic, given the need to prepare and care for the increasing number of people who live with two or more chronic disorders. Psychiatrists have a vital role in the sharing of research knowledge and treatment practices on these disorders and their patterns of multimorbidity.
Simone De Ioanna, EPA Executive Director, and Thibaut Le Forsonney, EPA Scientific and Policy Officer, also represented the association. They engaged with many partners from across the mental health science, care, and policy communities. EUFAMI and GAMIAN-Europe, with whom the EPA created the Trilogue of Mental Health advocacy initiative, were also featured at the event.
Members of the Virtual Brain Twin and TRUSTING consortia were present. These projects bring together technological innovation and scientific research for the purpose of supporting the treatment of patients with psychotic disorders. Both projects receive contributions from the EPA and are funded through the EU’s Horizon Europe programme.
