WPA rep speaks about his plans to increase awareness and strengthen global relations

University of Saskatchewan professor and head of the department of psychiatry and mental health services, Raymond Tempier, was elected Canada’s new Zonal Representative on the Board of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) in September 2008. Dr. Tempier’s research interests are in mental health service organizations and policies, especially with respect to the collaborative care model. His research has also centred on the treatment and rehabilitation of severe mental disorders.

His three-year appointment to the WPA comes at a particularly vital time for Canadian psychiatrists as the Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA) gears up to host the WPA’s World Congress of Psychiatry in 2014 in Toronto.

Aujourd’hui caught up with Dr. Tempier to ask him about his new role at the WPA.

AUJ: Dr. Tempier, how did your election to the WPA Board as Canada’s Zonal Representative come about?

RT: Julio Arboleda-Flores, a CPA member and prominent psychiatrist, submitted my name to the WPA Nomination Committee last year. He and I share the same views regarding the future of psychiatry, the protection of patients’ rights, and the fight against the stigma of mentally ill persons. It came as a surprise as I never thought about representing Canadian psychiatry at such a high level. The WPA is the largest association of psychiatrists, representing more than 140,000 psychiatrists worldwide. I am proud to have been elected Canada’s Zonal Representative and I want to work closely with our national and provincial psychiatric associations to promote the work of the WPA and to also inform the WPA Board and members on the work of our Canadian psychiatric associations and societies.

AUJ: What exactly is your role on this Board of international representatives?

RT: Zonal Representatives (ZRs) sit on the WPA Board as officers. They attend Board meetings and General Assemblies. ZRs vote on many items, including the admission or suspension of member societies, the creation of WPA sections, plans of action proposed by the Executive Committee, and on the WPA global budget.

ZRs advise and report to the WPA Executive Committee on policies and activities in their respective zones. They report annually on their zonal member societies’ organizational structure, key activities, and major needs. ZRs also hold key coordinating roles within their zones and try to strengthen links among member societies. They aim to stimulate the participation of member societies in WPA activities and facilitate the dissemination of educational and other WPA materials within their respective zones.

AUJ: Your three-year appointment comes just off the cusp of the ratification of the WPA’s new three-year action plan. How do you see your work as Zonal Representative fitting in to the institutional goals of the WPA?

RT: The WPA has recently released a 2008-2011 work plan that outlines 10 institutional goals – some of which involve enhancing the image of psychiatry worldwide among the general public, professionals and policy-makers; partnering with member societies in their efforts to improve the quality of mental health care, education and research; promoting the dissemination of information on recent clinical, service and research developments; promoting the development of mental health care in low-income countries and its integration into primary care; promoting ethical standards in psychiatric practice; and advocating for the rights of persons with mental disorders in all regions of the world.

Having spent most of my professional career in Canada, my constant interest as a clinician and a researcher was to advocate for a better quality of life for the severely mentally ill. These people deserve a better life. I am in complete agreement with the WPA on its moral obligation to advocate for a better quality of life for mentally ill patients wherever they live. And I am ready to use my knowledge and expertise to help colleagues advocate for their patients and to help
countries with their plans to improve the lives and the rights of mental health patients.

Many countries do not have national mental health policies or plans, nor do they dedicate the required funds for mental health in their national health budgets. I believe this is a true challenge for the WPA and its member societies. The Mental Health Commission of Canada is now working towards developing a national mental health strategy. Canada can then be a model for other countries and I will try to disseminate though the WPA what the Commission will accomplish.

My work plan will keep to the WPA’s three-year action plan. It has modest objectives which could be summarized by working on knowledge translation and the facilitation of information exchange. My intention is also to work in close partnership with the CPA in order to bridge any possible gaps between the WPA and CPA.

I also hope to get Canada more involved in contributing to the improvement of mental health in developing countries. I am going to be involved in a collaborative project with Dominica, a small independent country in the Caribbean, which supports the WPA’s goal of integrating mental health into primary care in low income countries. Not only is it a way for developed countries to provide technical expertise and assistance, but it is also a way for low income countries to offer rich milieus for education and research in psychiatry.

There are many other things I would like to accomplish as Zonal Representative. I hope to increase collaboration among member societies within Canada; help disseminate WPA educational and scientific materials to Canadian psychiatrists; promote international partnerships in education and research activities; help prepare, organize and facilitate the next WPA meeting scheduled to happen right here in Canada in 2014, and make WPA members more aware about the CPA and psychiatric innovations in Canada.

AUJ: The WPA can be somewhat of an enigma to many of our members. Why do you think psychiatrists in Canada should care about what goes on at this international association?

RT: Yes, I know. Most psychiatrists in Canada don’t know what the WPA is all about! When it was established in 1950, the WPA was an association for the organization of World Congresses of Psychiatry, with Jean Delay as its President and Henry Ey as its Secretary General, two prominent French psychiatrists who founded it. The creation of the WPA signified a move towards an internationally-valued professional identity – an inspiring effort to respect diversity and use it effectively to attain unity in purpose.

By accommodating psychiatrists of different national and cultural origins, of different schools of thought, and of diverging ideological proclivities, the WPA aspired to establish a worldwide front of professionals united in the pursuit of increased knowledge and of greater capacity for the care of mentally ill patients. Since its creation, the WPA has collaborated with the United Nations and the World Health Organization to protect the human rights of mentally ill patients. It continues to work in this domain through its Standing Committee on Ethics and Review Committee on the Abuse of Psychiatry.

The WPA objectives are to improve the care and preserve the rights of the mentally ill, prevent mental disorders and promote mental health. Its purpose is to upgrade the knowledge, skills and attitudes for psychiatric work and promote the highest ethical and quality standards in psychiatric care, teaching and research. The WPA promotes non-discrimination (parity) in health care and the protection of the rights of psychiatrists in their practice.

Finally, I would like to remind everyone that every regular and enlisted psychiatrist member of a member society, such as the CPA, is de facto a regular individual member of the WPA.

One of my main priorities is to promote the WPA and clearly inform Canadian psychiatrists about its structure and activities. I am counting on the CPA to help me with this. I am proposing a workshop on the WPA’s history, structure and activities for the CPA’s 59th Annual Conference in St John’s, Newfoundland.

Canadian psychiatrists need to know more about the WPA, its raison d’être, its plan, its publications. I also intend to inform and disseminate CPA publications and Canadian mental health initiatives to the WPA Board and members.

AUJ: How do you hope to represent Canadian psychiatry and psychiatrists in the WPA?

RT: I will work closely with the CPA to inform the WPA about the progress we are making in Canada, but also about the challenges and issues which remain. I do believe that our country is poised to do better for psychiatric services. I may be too optimistic or naive! But in any case, I hope to share what Canada does in terms of mental health with representatives from other countries, of which some don’t have national mental health policies or plans, nor do they dedicate the required funds for mental health in their health budgets. I believe this is a true challenge for the WPA and its member national societies.

I am a clinician, a researcher and a defender of a better quality of life for severely mentally ill persons. I am ready to expand and use my knowledge to help colleagues elsewhere advocating for better quality of life of their patients.

AUJ: You have a special interest in improving mental health services in developing countries. Do you have any specific plans to carry this goal forward in both Canada and the WPA?

RT: I think we should concentrate on specific areas of the world. I am thinking of course of the Americas, but also countries around the Pacific Rim. I think we should develop more activities in our sphere of influence. Many psychiatrists are from abroad and kept ties with their native countries. They could help develop these links and collaborations. I think it would be a great idea if the CPA established a committee on global mental health or on international affairs.

AUJ: Being a representative for a country as diverse as Canada comes with many challenges. What do you think are some of the major challenges and how do you plan to meet them?

RT: My first challenge is to inform and engage colleagues and CPA members about the work and activities of the WPA. My second challenge is to, if possible, represent all Canadian psychiatrists. The CPA doesn’t represent all Canadian psychiatrists, even being the “official voice" of Canadian psychiatry.

Cultural competence should be at the forefront of our activities. I think it remains a major challenge for our practice. With its many cultural differences among practitioners, the WPA can be a source of inspiration in mingling culture with science. Psychiatrists need to be a bit more engaged at the local, provincial or national level in Canada. They should not be too shy to fight for the mental health rights of their patients. We need to address stigma issues in Canada. The WPA, with its publications, statements and declarations, can help.

Implementing WPA work plan goals will be a big challenge. I have proposed a few ideas and goals, but am also ready to hear from other colleagues what my role could be and how I could be efficient enough to serve both the WPA and the CPA. I am eager to get any feedback.

AUJ: How do you see the goals of the WPA fitting in with the goals of the Canadian Psychiatric Association?

RT: I think the following three broad goals proposed by the WPA to its member societies are goals that fit with the CPA:

1. To enhance the image of psychiatry among the general public, health professionals and policy makers.

2. To improve the quality of mental health care, education and research in their countries and regions, and in their attempts to upgrade their own structure, governance and organizational capacity.

3. To promote the highest ethical standards in psychiatric practice and advocate for the rights of persons with mental disorders.

The CPA should also include the importance of collaborating internationally and especially with developing countries. The transfer of knowledge and competencies is a moral obligation and is becoming such an important priority. I think that this is something that the CPA should closely look at as we are moving to a global world where not only economies but knowledge will be increasingly shared and integrated among different cultures and societies. This is our chance to develop more ties with other countries. Thinking about knowledge transfer strategies and collaborative initiatives is timely for Canada, especially in the wake of hosting the 2014 World Psychiatry Congress.

© Copyright 2009. Canadian Psychiatry Aujourd’hui. All rights reserved.

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