Conference Topics
The theme of this year’s conference Novel Mental Health Approaches: Czechia as a Leader of the EU? was Increasing Societal Resilience and Coping with War Trauma, reflecting the current global situation.
The conference built on some topics from last year’s edition (e.g., cost-effectiveness). It connected leading scientists and experts with legislators and representatives of the executive branch at both the European and national levels.
- The discussions focused on the possibilities and future of care, research, the use of technologies and data, as well as the economic effectiveness of psychedelic-assisted therapy.
- The role of the Czech Republic in European changes was also addressed — foreign speakers repeatedly expressed hope that the Czech Republic could become an inspiration for other countries in this regard.
- Given the theme (Increasing Societal Resilience and Coping with War Trauma), much was said about treatment options for PTSD and war-related trauma (especially in the context of Ukraine and the USA). The legendary Rick Doblin also spoke on the topic of PTSD.
The organizers of the conference are PsychedelicsEUROPE and the PSYRES Foundation. The main patronage was provided by the President of the Czech Republic, Mr. Petr Pavel. Additional patronages were granted by the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, the Senate of the Czech Republic, the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic, and other prominent political figures.
Video 1 - Prof. Horáček
Panel discussion on the topic: Increasing the Psychological Resilience of Society in Times of Crisis
Among the discussants was Prof. Jiří Horáček, one of the founders of Psyon, head of the Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology at the 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, and director of the Center for Advanced Brain and Consciousness Studies at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
Video 2: MUDr. Páleníček
Within the block on the topic Current Challenges and Opportunities in Psychiatric Research and Practice, MUDr. Tomáš Páleníček, one of the founders of Psyon clinic, assistant professor at the Institute of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Charles University, and head of the Psychedelics Research Centre at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), also gave a presentation.
Video 3: Mgr. Milotinský
The conference also included a debate on the topic of Cost-effectiveness of psychiatric pharmacotherapy in the context of the Czech reimbursement system. This discussion followed up on a similar debate from last year and featured the participation of Mgr. et Mgr. Stanislav Milotinský, director and one of the founders of Psyon
More videos
All videos recording the entire conference and all individual presentations can be found on the PsychedelicsEUROPE YouTube channel, available in both English and Czech.
A major highlight was definitely the presentation of Rick Doblin, founder of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and one of the most prominent figures in the psychedelic world. The day after the conference, Rick Doblin visited Psyon and spent half a day at our clinic. Photos from his visit can be found in this article.
His presentation at the conference on the topic The Potential of PAT in the Treatment of PTSD in War Veterans is available: