1st African Neuroscience & Psychiatry Summit
24-26 February 2023
Janssen South Africa Neuroscience in collaboration with the Africa Global Mental Health Institute (AGMHI) hosted the 1st African Neuroscience & Psychiatry Summit in Johannesburg from 24-26 February 2023. The aim of the hybrid event was to share medical and scientific knowledge and encourage impactful discussions, driving progressive change in the sub-Saharan African mental health space. This included highlighting pertinent neuroscientific aspects related to various psychiatric conditions focused on mood disorders and schizophrenia. The Summit welcomed mental health professionals from around the sub-Saharan African region, including Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
Highlights from the opening day included a welcome from the President of the South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP), Dr. Sebolelo Seape, and AGMHI Co-Director, Prof. Bonga Chiliza, as well as a presentation delivered by the General Manager of Janssen South Africa, Ahmed El Hofy. AGMHI Co-Director, Dr. David Henderson, was a guest speaker from the U.S. and presented a plenary session titled, "Understanding the role of metabolic syndrome in schizophrenia."
The second day's main highlight was the launch of the #breakingstigma campaign. Led by Janssen South Africa Neuroscience in collaboration with SASOP and the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG), this campaign highlighted and created awareness of the stigmas associated with mental health in South Africa. During the campaign launch, two patients and a caregiver shared their stories about living with depression and the importance of seeking help, speaking up, and spreading the word in an effort to help end the stigma.
Day two also included plenary sessions covering novel therapies in treating and managing mood disorders and a session specifically on HIV and depression. A child psychiatry session highlighted the importance of child and adolescent mental health with an Afrocentric approach, and the day ended on a high note with discussion on the (bio)ethics of novel neuromodulatory treatments in managing treatment resistant depression (TRD).
The last day’s plenary sessions covered various topics including: breaking the stigma associated with schizophrenia; a deep dive into treating and managing schizophrenia in the South African landscape; and the ethics and biopolitics of inclusive LGBT+ mental health.
Special thanks to the Scientific Committee members:
Prof. Bonga Chiliza (South Africa)
Prof. Saeeda Paruk (South Africa)
Dr. Myuviso Talatala (South Africa)
Dr. Lihle Mgweba-Bewana (South Africa)
Dr. Philip Opondo (Botswana)
Dr. Michelle P. Durham (USA)
Reflections from attendees
Dr. Wisani Makhomisane (Psychiatrist; Limpopo, South Africa) - “Firstly I would like to thank you and Janssen/AGMHI for a well organised summit. I attended physically and everything about the hotel and support staff was great. All the topics were well thought through and well presented by industry leaders in their field. For me, what made this summit exceptional was that it was Africans discussing mental health in Africa. It said to me that there is a space and room for us to support each other in all small corners of Africa.
The session that stood out to me was the child psychiatry session, which highlighted some of the fundamentals around autism spectrum disorder. I also particularly enjoyed the session on neuroethics; Dr. Olivia and Dr. Lihle had highlighted such important aspects around neuromodulatory treatment in psychiatry, which I felt is something very important to highlight especially in a progressive treatment landscape in Africa.
Lastly, Sadiyah (Janssen MSL – Psychiatry), excuse the pun but you are the man. You took this summit as your new-born through all milestones, you were even running around with the microphone during the Q&A, and I can safely say your baby has fully achieved all her milestones. Well done. Keep on excelling and through you, Janssen/AGMHI is becoming a household name. We look forward to the next Summit.”
Dr. Marcia Ntimani (Psychiatrist; Johannesburg, South Africa) – “Thank you so much to Janssen/AGMHI for the summit. It was well organised and very insightful.
The pre-summit workshop was very helpful because as health professionals we use motivational interviewing a lot on substance use disorders. But the workshop has further highlighted for me that one can use these techniques with other disorders and for medication compliance.
Furthermore, the patient interviews done at the Summit was the highlight of the show, especially the lady who came with her son. Reality kicked in for me when he spoke about his experience of living with a depressed mom. Sometimes we don’t realise the impact of mental illness on family members, and it was so insightful to get to hear their experiences and truly understand the caregiver’s burden. This perspective will always remain with me as I treat and manage patients.
All the topics were nicely presented and I like the fact that it was short presentations that were straight to the point. The sessions were all informative and I definitely look forward to another Summit next year. Thank you for the hosting us and we appreciate that refreshments were always available.”
More highlights from the Summit
"Janssen South Africa is committed to providing unbiased medical education and content excellence in the field of neuroscience and psychiatry to healthcare professionals in South Africa. Through our valued collaboration with AGMHI, we aim to highlight our commitment to providing medical excellence and transforming the landscape of mental health in Africa with the goal of improving patient outcomes." - Dr. Sadiyah Cassim, Medical Scientific Liaison (Psychiatry) at Janssen South Africa
"Mental health remains one of the most important areas in public health. The stigma and discrimination attached to mental health diseases prevent many people from seeking treatment, leading to significant social and economic consequences. The #breakingstigma campaign is an opportunity for us to collaborate with key stakeholders to break down the stigma surrounding mental health and encourage individuals to prioritize their mental wellbeing. Unchecked, mental health can shape up to becoming a major health risk amongst South Africans." - Moustafa Kamel, Medical Affairs Director at Janssen South Africa
"One of the few positives about the COVID-19 pandemic is that it really unearthed how important mental health is. The problem with stigma is ignorance, attitude and discrimination, or behaviour against people with mental health. And that's what we should be targeting - the knowledge. The #breakingstigma campaign is a wonderful initiative to educate people about these mental health issues." - Prof. Bonga Chiliza, Associate Professor/Chief Specialist and Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and Co-Director of AGMHI
"There has been a marked increase in mental health challenges amongst South Africans due to the significant amount of stress citizens live and work under. Economic, social, and family pressures are immense right now. It’s important that people take the first step toward mental health." - Dr. Sebolelo Seape, President at SASOP
"Living with treatment resistant depression (TRD) is not easy and I think depression overall is misunderstood. The worst thing about living with it is the very deep dark hole that you go into; where you contemplate the worst things in life, for example, suicide or self-harm, and consequently hurting your family." - John Clay, a patient living with TRD
"There is no shame in mental health. It can be overwhelming, however with support and treatment it is manageable." - Pearl Ndlovu, a patient living with depression
"There cannot be enough emphasis on the risks of ignoring mental health, and it starts with dispelling stigmas that are associated with various conditions that many people suffer from. It is, in many ways, impacting more people than we realise, but the door should be open to allow people to come forward, without judgement." - Casey Chambers, Operations Director at SADAG
