The fifth annual conference of the Syrian Association for Mental Health (SAMH) was held in difficult and critical conditions for the Syrian people at home and abroad. The conference was held in order to offer psychosocial care for the Syrians, now and in the future, and despite the atrocities committed against Syria, the hope that its ancient people will rebuild again a civilized society that enjoys freedom, dignity, mental health and human rights.
The fourth annual conference of the Syrian Association for Mental Health, in coordination with the Syrian Refugees Taskforce at the College, was held in Gaziantep, Turkey on 23-24 April 2016. The theme for the conference was “Mental health care for Syrian refugees and internally displaced”. The conference as previously, had a two-day academic meeting and an accompanying program that ran over two weeks. It was well attended by Syrian psychiatrists, psychologists, allied mental health professionals and other volunteers with over 130 attendees who actively participated during the sessions.
The third annual conference of the Syrian Association for Mental Health (SAMH) was held in Gaziantep, Turkey on 24-25 April 2015. SAMH has several College members who all actively participated the organisation and delivery this conference, with other Syrian expatriate professionals from different countries also involved. The theme for the conference was ‘Towards Better Mental Health for all Syrians’. It was well attended by over a hundred multidisciplinary Syrian professionals including psychiatrists, GPs, psychologists, counsellors and support workers.
On the 27-28 September 2012, a group of Syrian mental health professionals,
including psychiatrists, psychologists and clinical social workers, met in Istanbul,
Turkey for a two-day conference entitled: “The psycho-social effects of the Syrian
uprising and ways to deal with them”. The aim of this first conference was to address
the psychological consequences of the current conflict in Syria, which is now in its
fourth year. (1) What motivated these mental health professionals is the human cost
of the current conflict in Syria, which has been regarded as a “humanitarian and
public health catastrophe” (2). It is estimated that over 200,000 people have been
killed, the majority of whom were civilians with a high proportion of women and children (3). Some 1.1
million people were wounded, 45% of them women and children, of whom 10-15% suffered various
disabilities including limb amputations.
SAMH held its second conference in Gaziantep, Turkey on
15-16 Feb 2014 with the theme being "For better mental health care
during crisis". The conference was well attended by 120 Syrians,
including psychiatrists, psychologists and other volunteers. Good number
of participants came from inside Syria with others arriving from
different parts of the world. The vast majority have already been
involved and working with displaced Syrians with both existing
psychological problems and those arising as a consequence of the crisis.
On the 27-28 September 2012, a group of Syrian mental health professionals,
including psychiatrists, psychologists and clinical social workers, met in Istanbul,
Turkey for a two-day conference entitled: “The psycho-social effects of the Syrian
uprising and ways to deal with them”. The aim of this first conference was to address
the psychological consequences of the current conflict in Syria.
