Despite the fact that the current understanding of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has increased among mental health professionals, it is still under-diagnosed and under-treated in several European countries, leading to chronic impairment and higher disease costs. This workshop is intended to provide an update on the fundamental and important aspects of ADHD across the lifespan. Educational objectives of the workshop include discussing psychopathology, neuroimaging, diagnostic tools, and differential diagnosis of ADGD. Gender differences in ADHD are poorly understood possibly because of the underrepresentation of females in the literature. Therefore, a comparison of ADHD between males and females will be discussed in light of a systematic review. Psychoeducation and general treatment approach, and more specifically, pharmacological treatment of ADHD with comorbidities are the other topics that will be covered during the session. By participating in this workshop, the participants will have a platform to ask questions, discuss and share opinions on fundamental aspects of ADHD from a lifespan perspective.

COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed the lives of people all over the world. In some countries medical system had to adjust to funds relocation and limitations in meeting patients in person. Seeing patients online has started to be a common practice. But does it really change the main principles of mental health care? Are we shifting our core approaches or work on technical adjustment? Two discussants will present their points of view to broaden in the joint discussion our understanding of COVID-19 outbreak implications on mental health care.

This research symposium aims to present the quintessence of current scientific evidence on personalized psychiatry and its place in clinical practice. This symposium will bring together international experts in all major areas of personalized medicine in psychiatry. The main educational objective of the symposium is not only to present the results of up-to-date research in the field of personalized medicine in psychiatry, but also to demonstrate the possibility of translating findings from research into clinical practice, as well as to show the current perspectives and priorities for further research.

The good management of mental disorders during pregnancy and lactation is a challenge for many psychiatrists. On the one hand, it is necessary to offer effective treatment options, while on the other hand to ensure the safety of the child before and after the delivery. The most up-to-date knowledge of what therapeutic interventions are available in this period, and in what clinical scenarios to apply them, is essential. The progress of evidence particularly for pharmacotherapy and its contraindications during pregnancy is constantly developing. During the Perinatal Psychiatry session at EPA Congress 2021, the topics such as parenting assessment in psychiatric mother and baby units, parents with mental and substance use disorders, and the role of perinatal care in early life trauma prevention will be presented and discussed, among others.

Trauma is a complex phenomenon which impacts not only a victim, but also close relatives, witnesses and healers. Multiple sources of trauma and high prevalence of complex trauma requires interdisciplinary approach in prevention and treatment. The workshop will bring to the stage practical aspects in understanding and combating trauma based on the recent research and intervention projects.

The COVID-19 outbreak has left its mark on the work of mental health care staff. Many professionals had to radically change their working conditions or were delegated to work in different facilities, in many cases taking on different responsibilities with little time for training. Many psychiatrists overnight had to partially or fully start working within telemedicine. Due to the lockdown, psychiatric trainees in many countries were not able to complete their training as planned. The measures taken by the governments to limit the impact of the pandemic also affected the capacity to conduct research studies and directions of new research initiatives. During this session the effects of the outbreak on work and wellbeing of early career psychiatrists and researchers in the field of mental health as well as their perspectives in the near future will be discussed.

In this session we will hear about cutting-edge digital and psychosocial interventions and the evidence about them, using the internet, data science and social media, and their positive and negative impact.

This symposium on mental health policy aims to discuss the use of involuntary treatment in psychiatry in Europe from the stakeholders’ perspective. The issues of involuntary treatment in psychiatry have been the subject of a new round of legal, ethical and clinical discussions both within the professional community and in society since the publication of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities authoritative interpretations. The symposium will present up-to-date data on legal provision of involuntary treatment in Europe, discuss ethical and practical issues and challenges in the use of coercion in psychiatry. An important element of the symposium will be an open discussion on involuntary treatment with a representative of service users and caregivers.

In this session we will discuss topics of interest to early career psychiatrists, facing challenges in their training education and in their work conditions. We will hear from a psychiatric trainee about their experiences of training as a psychiatrist during a pandemic, we will hear the key messages on how to train in digital mental health, and have advice from experienced senior clinical academics on how should one start a career as a consultant psychiatrist.