Professors, leading consultants and experts in mental health from South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, SLaM, are set to participate in the Maudsley Health Annual Conference 2017 as primary keynote speakers, which will be held on Friday 13th October, at the Crowne Plaza, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

Organised by Maudsley Health, Abu Dhabi, a joint venture between SLaM and Macani Medical Centre in Abu Dhabi, the Annual Conference will be held on 13th October, marking World Mental Health Day earlier in the week.

Commenting on the upcoming conference, Dr. Martin Baggaley, Chief Medical Officer at Maudsley Health Abu Dhabi said, "We are delighted to host the third Maudsley Health Annual Conference in Abu Dhabi. This year’s conference creates important dialogue on the mental health and wellbeing services for the child, adolescent and adult population in the United Arab Emirates. Our goal has always been to spread awareness on mental health issues, playing an integral role in delivering the best possible assessments and treatments for children, young people and adults with mental health problems."

A stimulating educational event for healthcare and school professionals, the conference will feature internationally recognised keynote speakers, all experts in their fields, sharing their new research and developments on mental health.

Dr. Bruce Clark, the Clinical Director at the Clinical and Adolescent Mental Health Services, CAMHS, Clinical Academic Group at SLAM will be the honorary Chair for the Day. Dr. Clark has been involved in the conception and opening of Maudsley Health, Abu Dhabi and has been one of the key visiting specialists since the health service opened in 2015. The panel of speakers representing SLaM will include Professor Young, Dr. Seneviratne and Dr. Ougrin among many others.

Professor Allan Young, the Chair of Mood Disorders and Director of the Centre for Affective Disorders in the Department of Psychological Medicine in the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College, London, will lead the conference with a presentation on Cognition in Mood Disorders, highlighting the nature of cognitive impairments in mood disorders, reviewing methods of assessing cognition and understanding the range of therapeutic options available for cognition impairment including the different profiles it covers such as depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Dr. Gertrude Seneviratne, Lead Consultant for the Specialist Perinatal Service will address a presentation on Perinatal mental Health: A Public Health Priority. The presentation will discuss topics surrounding mental illness in childbearing women, mental health assessments at the start of pregnancy and training in infant development, all through a case study on the South London Child Development Study.

Dr. Dennis Ougrin, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist leading the Supported Discharge Service, will discuss the Treatment of Non-Suicidal Self Injury, NSSI, in Adolescents, sharing recent developments on its prevalence, clinical implications and social interventions.

With over 700 years’ worth of experience in the UK, SLaM has established itself as an international leader in the field of research, education and translational medicine in mental health. SLaM is home to one of the oldest psychiatric institutions in the world and the leading psychiatric institution in Europe, and is well known for their services in child and adolescent mental health services, adult services, training and education.

Since the launch of Maudsley Health Abu Dhabi, their facilities are garnering acclaim for offering high quality assessments, treatment and care to children, young people and their families. Earlier this year the mental health institution also launched services for adults.