CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

46th ANNUAL MEETING

Deadline for Submissions: Friday, October 25, 2024

Before Submitting an Abstract, Please Note:

  • Deadline EXTENDED for Abstract Submissions: November 8th, 2024

  • Deadline for Award Applications: November 15th, 2024

  • All submissions undergo a multiple-reviewer selection and scoring process.

  • After notification of acceptance, all presenters (including workshop co-facilitators and discussants) will be required to pay the conference registration fee by February 15th for their submission to be included in the annual meeting program. 

Conference Theme

The Society for the Study of Psychiatry and Culture is pleased to invite submissions for our 46th Annual Meeting, “Bridging Cultures in Mental Health: Local Insights, Global Implications,”* which seeks to explore the intersection of cultural understanding and mental health care on a global scale.

Our Annual Meeting  will bring together scholars, clinicians, and community leaders to share knowledge, exchange ideas, and foster collaborations that address the complex challenges of mental health in diverse cultural contexts, with the goal of emphasizing reciprocal learning across borders, communities, and disciplines. 

We invite submissions that align with the annual meeting thematic domains outlined below.

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Thematic Domains for Submission

Examples of topics and domains related to the conference theme include the following:

  • We encourage submissions that delve into the rich tapestry of indigenous healing practices. Presentations may explore the impact of colonization on these practices, their potential revitalization, and their integration into modern healthcare systems. Topics of interest include Indigenous mental health frameworks, decolonizing mental health, cultural responsiveness and humility, and case studies of integrated care models.

  • Highlighting the role of rural and community-based approaches to mental health care, we seek submissions that emphasize interdisciplinary care models and partnerships with community leaders, individuals with lived experience and their caregivers, and religious, spiritual, or wellness communities. Topics of Interest include community mental health initiatives, persons with lived experience, community advisory boards, culturally tailored interventions, collaboration with traditional healers, and the role of religious and spiritual leaders in mental health. Submissions exploring the potential challenges, ethical dilemmas, and creative solutions involved in community-centered care are welcomed.

  • Examining the role of telepsychiatry and digital innovations, we are interested in submissions that address how technology can bridge geographic and resource gaps while ensuring equitable access to mental health services. Submissions that take a critical view of the potential danger of digital technology in mental health are also welcomed. Topics of interest include telepsychiatry, digital mental health tools, accessibility in low-resource settings, and overcoming technological barriers in diverse communities.

  • We invite proposals that address the mental health needs of migrants, refugees, and forcibly displaced populations, with a focus on culturally attuned and trauma-informed care that may also be political in nature. Topics of interest include refugee mental health, trauma-informed care, cultural and contextual adaptation of mental health services with temporary or migrant communities, and policy implications for displaced populations.

  • This priority area seeks to highlight the collaborative exchange of research ideas and advancements across borders, spaces, and cultures. We encourage submissions that focus on identifying methods, approaches, and interventions that can be adapted to new settings and implemented effectively, reducing the prioritization of Western ideals and colonized practices. Topics of Interest include cross-cultural research collaborations, global mental health innovations, participatory models that center minoritized and intersectional voices, ethical dilemmas and solutions, reciprocal learning models, and the adaptation of interventions to diverse cultural contexts.

Abstract Submission Conditions & Categories

Abstracts can be submitted for Workshops, Symposia, Individual Papers or Posters, Works in Progress, and Trainee Fellowship Papers.

Abstracts that meet one or more of the following conditions will receive priority:

  1. Addresses the conference theme.

  2. Empirical research: Empirical work includes primary quantitative research (e.g., observational studies) and/or primary qualitative research (e.g., interviews), with the use of appropriate methods for analysis of the original data. Empirical research also includes work based on clinical encounters (e.g., case series). Finally, empirical research includes secondary data collection and analysis, such as secondary analysis of existing datasets or prior empirical work, systematic reviews, or scoping reviews. Literature reviews that do not use a protocol for organizing and analyzing the literature are not considered empirical, nor are opinion or position pieces empirical. procedure for  Data may be qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods, or based on clinical encounters

  3. Interactive components: This particularly includes Workshops that allow for participants to gain skills or Work-in-Progress submissions with a thoughtful set of questions or topics for discussion with the audience.

About the Categories

  • Workshops are approximately 1.5 hours long. They should have one organizer and up to four co-facilitators. Workshops are different from symposia in that they are more interactive and are required to have interactive activities for participants for at least half of the workshop time. In addition to an abstract, workshop submissions must include a timeline of activities. Workshop themes should address specific skills, debates, or concepts, either related to the conference theme or broadly applicable to cultural psychiatry and/or global mental health. Examples include how to work with youth to develop engagement strategies that encourage diverse youth with first-episode psychosis to participate in care or how to collaborate with LMIC partners in GMH research.

    Click Here to Submit a Workshop

  • Symposia are approximately 1.5 hours long. We recommend three original papers be included, with a recommended presentation time of 20 minutes each. Organizers may opt to include four shorter presentations if preferred. The organizer or moderator may provide introductory remarks on the topic. A discussant may be included if desired. Be sure to allot a minimum of 25 minutes for open discussion (per CME guidelines).

    Click Here to Submit a Symposium

  • Abstracts may be submitted by individuals, indicating a preference for paper or poster presentations. Individual papers will be grouped into Paper Sessions by the conference organizers.

    Click Here to Submit an Individual Poster or Paper

  • This category allows individuals or teams the opportunity to receive feedback during the early stages of developing a research study, grant application, quality improvement project, curriculum, clinical service, etc. Abstracts can present preliminary concepts or findings and should include specific topics or questions for discussion. Each Work in Progress is typically allocated 30 minutes, including 10 minutes for brief presentation and 20 minutes for feedback. Individual Works-in-Progress will be grouped with others into a Work-in-Progress Session.

    Click Here to Submit a Work-in-Progress

  • Social science (masters or PhD students) or medical (medical student or resident) trainees may submit papers for consideration for a fellowship presentation. Up to two fellowships are given each year. Trainee Award recipients have registration costs waived and receive a $500 honorarium to offset travel costs. More information about the awards and past award winners can be found here.

    Click Here to Submit a Trainee Fellowship Abstract

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