Jun 3, 2015
In this podcast, Professor Herrman, President-elect of the World Psychiatric Association describes her vision of international cooperation to identify, develop, and disseminate knowledge and resources appropriate for improving mental health among the diverse range of people and situations across the world. Professor Herrman is particularly optimistic about the interchange of ideas, acknowledging the growing importance of psychiatry as it is practiced outside western democracies, in places as diverse as the Pacific Island nations, China and India. Professor Herrman argues that psychiatry need not be defensive, but can be confident enough to assert its central role within medical practice. She makes the important point that advocacy by patients, carers, and broader social groups all have a part to play in guiding policy makers’ decisions about resource allocation, in Australia and New Zealand as well as the rest of the world.