Welcome

Dear Colleagues,

It is our pleasure to invite you to attend the 17th European Congress of Psychiatry, which will take place in Lisbon, Portugal, January 24 - 28 , 2009.

This annual Congress is organised by the European Psychiatric Association (EPA) formerly known as the Association of European Psychiatry (AEP), which is the largest international association of psychiatrists in Europe with members in 57 countries.

The theme of the Congress will be:
“New Diagnostic Approaches in Psychiatry: Relevance for Research and Practice in Europe”

The high-quality Scientific Programme of the Congress will open new perspectives on the Science and Art of psychiatry and on issues related to treatment and patient care. The state-of-the-art lectures, plenary lectures and core symposia will provide you with a full update on the most important aspects of treatment in psychiatry and on the latest achievements in this field.

The Congress will also serve as well the educational mission of the EPA through a variety of CME courses, educational workshops, lectures and symposia. The Congress will be fully accredited by the EAC-CME of the UEMS (European Accreditation Committee for Continuous Medical Education).

The Congress also intends to comprehensively cover all various aspects of modern psychiatry and to favour meetings of psychiatrists with different backgrounds and orientations. This fruitful exchange of knowledge and experience aims at further developing a feeling of identity of European psychiatry. We therefore expect your active involvement as clinicians and researchers across Europe and hope that you will contribute to the Scientific Programme by submitting proposals for symposia, workshops, oral presentations and posters.

Attending this meeting in Lisbon will also be an opportunity for you to tour the fascinating and historical capital of Portugal. Lisbon is a legendary city with over 20 centuries of history and will be the perfect background for discussions on the Science and Art of psychiatry in Europe.

We look forward to welcoming you in Lisbon in January 2009!