Prof. Mahmoud El-Meteini, President of Ain Shams University, inaugurated the 18th International Conference on Psychiatry, and the 6th International Conference on Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, which was organized by the Department of Neurology and Psychiatry at the Faculty of Medicine, at Ain Shams University, and a collaborating center with the International Association of Psychiatry for Psychological Research and Training in cooperation with the Okasha Center for Medicine Psychiatry, under the title "Misdiagnosis in Psychiatry and its Effects"

And in the presence of Prof. Ahmed Okasha, founder of the Psychiatry Center and President of the World Psychiatric Association (2002-2005) and honorary president of the Egyptian Psychiatric Association, and Prof. Mostafa Kamel, honorary president of the Okasha Center for Psychiatry and Chairman of the Continuing Professional Development Committee, and Prof. Ali Al-Anwar, Dean of the Faculty Medicine, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of University Hospitals, Prof. Mumtaz Abdel Wahab, President of the Egyptian Psychiatric Association, and Prof. Tarek Youssef, Executive Director of Ain Shams University Hospitals.

The conference was chaired by Prof. Maha Syed, Professor of Psychiatry at the Okasha Center for Psychiatry and Head of the Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Dr. Tariq Okasha, Director of the Okasha Center for Psychiatry, Secretary of the Conference and Director of the Collaborating Center with the World Association of Psychiatry at Ain Shams University and Prof. Afaf Hamid Khalil, conference advisor and professor of psychiatry at the Faculty of Medicine, at Ain Shams University, and Prof. Amira El-Batrawi, professor of psychiatry at the Faculty of Medicine, at Ain Shams University.

This is due to the participation of more than 1,000 specialized physicians and a large number of Egyptian and foreign experts from inside and outside Egypt. The new research was discussed at the conference in all fields of psychiatry. It is noteworthy that Egypt has become distinguished in the field of psychiatry globally, thanks to Dr. Ahmed Okasha, President of the World Psychiatric Association.

In his speech, Prof. Mahmoud El-Meteini reviewed the effort exerted in developing the Prof. Ahmed Okasha Center for Psychiatry to keep pace with the rapid development in the field of psychiatry, expressing his thanks to Dr. Ahmed Okasha - who is considered a symbol of the university - and the full support of the Department of Psychiatry, financially and morally.

He also expressed his happiness at the conference, advising the need to avoid misdiagnosis, and sometimes the diagnosis may be late, as a result of different cultures or the difficulty of obtaining the necessary information from the patient, especially in some remote areas.

The conference dealt with topics of general psychiatry and addiction medicine, discussing smoking cessation in some special groups, and diagnosing and treating obsessive-compulsive disorder perinatal.

The conference activities also included presenting honorary shields to the attendees.

The first day of the conference included the activities of workshops that started at the center of Prof. Okasha for Psychiatry at Ain Shams University Hospitals by discussing many topics, starting with general psychiatry and the art of the psychological interview, as well as introducing sports psychiatry and the reasons for the need for it

And how to live with Alzheimer's disease, also shedding light on psychiatry during corona, addressing child and adolescent psychiatry and interest in effective communication skills in health and social care in general psychiatry and addiction, and dialectical behavioral therapy in the treatment of borderline personality disorder, dementia, and aging diseases, and talking about Alzheimer's disease and depression in old age.

Prof. Maha Syed explained that the conference included a number of scientific lectures, seminars, and workshops on the rights of the mental patient and the complications of poor diagnosis in psychiatry, as well as talking about the treatment plan for depressed patients who suffer from a less than optimal response to treatment, and discussing the modern approach to some disorders in mental health. Psychiatry and addiction between the past, present, and future from an Egyptian point of view, and the impact of poor diagnosis on children and families and developments in the treatment of depression.

As for child and adolescent psychiatry, occupational therapy was discussed in child and adolescent psychiatry, talk about psychopharmacological treatment for children, autism spectrum disorder, complications of misdiagnosis, and the impact of electronic games on the mental health of adolescents, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and affective disorders.

In addition to a training program, scientific sessions, a scientific forum, and expert meeting, in addition to presenting new research and some student activities, pointing out that the conference is accredited by the American Academy of Continuing Medical Education.

On the sidelines of the conference, a video recording of the development of Prof. Ahmed Okasha Center for Psychiatry was presented.

It is worth noting that the conference lasts for three days and will conclude tomorrow with a discussion of a number of topics, the most important of which are the status of mental health services in Egypt, developments in the treatment of schizophrenia, and observations to achieve recovery from mental illness, as well as a presentation of developments in the treatment of bipolar disorder and the link between mind and body as well as mental disorders, and sleep disorders in the elderly.