Brent Green

Abstract

This keynote address supports our GAP 2026 theme of innovations in psychiatry and addiction care with focus on societal and clinical challenges of addiction recovery. My hope is “to foster knowledge exchange that drives innovation and transforms care practice globally”.

After brief definitions of Social Psychiatry, and of mental health from WHO the presentation offers a visual model of a Systems Perspective on health. The overview is followed by a Case Study of addiction self-withdrawal by a noted artist in Los Angeles, California. The talk offers a structural view of licit psychoactive addiction and use among the elderly, an often-neglected population for research. Finally, a mental health evaluation of a successful regional program to prevent medication misuse is presented.

Audience take-aways:

• Expand their knowledge of the Systems Perspective on health and mental health


• Understand and pros and cons of addiction self-withdrawal from a Case Review.


• Recognize the challenges that elderly clients and providers confront with psychoactive medications


• Be able to apply the design of a mental health Regional Program to prevent medication misuse to their own practice communities.