The 4th International Conference of the Egyptian Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Association in Collaboration with the 5th Mansoura Child & Adolescent Congress of Psychiatry

The congress aimed to update participants’ evidence-based knowledge in child and adolescent mental health, while fostering collaboration among national and regional professionals to support continuous professional development. Although ECAPA is primarily an organization for child and adolescent psychiatrists, its conferences consistently attract a wide multidisciplinary audience, particularly psychologists and other allied mental health professionals, reflecting the collaborative and multi-disciplinary nature of contemporary child mental health care. 

A central focus of the congress was the enhancement of clinical expertise through high-quality workshops and master classes led by eminent professionals. Equally important was providing a forum for open discussion and brainstorming around the challenges facing child and adolescent mental health services both regionally and internationally, with particular attention to the evolving role of technology and the threats and opportunities it presents for the field. 

The scientific program opened with an exciting first-day morning session. Two focused lectures addressed attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), exploring both its less-discussed dimensions and practical clinical complexities. “ADHD and Social Cognition: The Untold Story” highlighted emerging evidence on social processing in affected children, while “ADHD: Managing the Scattered Puzzles” offered a comprehensive, clinically grounded approach to assessment and management. These were followed by two symposia addressing pressing and diverse topics: the psychosocial consequences of sexual abuse among children referred to tertiary care facilities in Oman, and innovative approaches that move beyond conventional therapies for children. A master class on the child psychiatric forensic interview provided in-depth, practice-oriented training that was particularly valued by clinicians working at the interface of mental health and legal systems. 

The opening ceremony was attended by distinguished guests, including the Dean and the General Hospital Director of Mansoura University, the Chair of the Psychiatric Department at Mansoura University, the President of the Egyptian Psychiatric Association, Secretary General of the Arab Psychiatrists Federation, and the Minister of Health of The Gambia. The ceremony underscored the regional and international significance of the meeting and the growing recognition of child and adolescent mental health as a public health priority. The opening plenary lecture, “Child Psychiatry: Paradigm Shift and Beyond,” set an ambitious tone for the congress by examining evolving conceptual frameworks and future directions in the field. 

The afternoon session of the first day continued with a focused lecture on obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) in children, followed by a symposium on biomarkers in neurodevelopmental disorders, reflecting the increasing integration of neuroscience and biological research into clinical practice. Oral presentations covered a wide range of clinically relevant topics, including the varied presentations of conduct disorder, the concept of “food noise” and its manifestations in anorexia nervosa and obesity, and the challenges of accurate diagnosis and individualized treatment planning.