A landmark South African Mental Health Conference took place in April 2023, marking the first national collaborative conference between government and mental health professionals. The theme was Join the Movement, and a ‘whole of society’ approach was emphasised, imploring various sectors to collaborate in relieving the country's burden of mental illness. Challenges in mental health were raised and possible solutions presented. This article discusses the conference, aspects of psychiatric care in South Africa, South Africa's health system issues and the importance of moving forward measurably.

When compared with other Asian countries, psychiatric education and training in Sri Lanka has made significant developments during the past two decades, such as introducing psychiatry as a separate final year subject in the undergraduate medical curricula. However, further developments in psychiatric training in medical education are needed.

This paper describes the current state of mental health services in Nepal and reflects on the significant changes over the past decade. The main challenges to overcome are proper implementation of community-based services, the high suicide rate, stigma of mental illness, financial constraints, lack of mental health legislation and proper utilisation of human resources.

Although training in psychotherapy is an integral part of psychiatry training, standards in psychotherapy training have wide variation across and within countries. Post-graduate psychiatry training has been conducted in Nepal for over two decades, but little is known about its psychotherapy training provisions. An online survey was conducted with early career psychiatrists in Nepal. The findings show that the majority recognised psychotherapy training as important and were eager to pursue further training. However, two-thirds had no access to psychotherapy training opportunities. These results highlight the need to improve access to training in different psychotherapy modalities in Nepal.

The history of psychiatry as a discipline in Nepal has been poorly studied. We have attempted to summarise historical landmarks to explore how it began and its evolution over time in relation to contemporary political events. Although Nepal has achieved several milestones, from establishing a psychiatric out-patient department with one psychiatrist in 1961 to having more than 500 psychiatric in-patient beds with 200 psychiatrists by 2020, the pace, commitment and dedication seem to be slower than necessary: the current national mental health policy dates back to 1996 and has not been updated since; there is no Mental Health Act; the number of psychiatric nurses and in-patient psychiatric beds has increased only slowly; and there is a dearth of professional supervision in rehabilitation centres. Thus, despite making significant progress, much more is required, at greater intensity and speed, and with wide collaboration and political commitment in order to improve the mental health of all Nepali citizens, including those living in rural areas and or in deprived conditions.

A wide range of medications are being misused by people the world over and Sri Lanka is no exception. Reasons for this misuse are manyfold. Regulatory bodies, prescribers, dispensers, as well as the general public, have significant roles to play in mitigating the misuse of prescribed medications and their harmful consequences.

Spain covers an area of some 506 000 km2 and has a population of just over 41 million. It is a high-income country (according to World Bank criteria) and devotes 7.5% of its gross domestic product to health.

Ethiopia, in the Horn of Africa, is one of the ancient independent nations of the world and has a rich diversity of peoples and cultures. The country covers 1.1 million km2 (Central Statistical Authority, 2000a). It has a population of about 70 million people (Central Statistical Authority, 2002), 80 different ethnic groups and some 200 dialects. Ethiopia is the second most populous nation in sub-Saharan Africa, after Nigeria (Hailemariam & Kloos, 1993). Forty-eight per cent of the population are under 15 years of age and over 80% live in rural areas (Central Statistical Authority, 1995). Islam and Christianity are the main religions.

The Philippines, known as the Pearl of the Orient, is an archipelago of 7107 islands, bounded on the west by the South China Sea, on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the south by the Sulu and Celebes Sea, and on the north by the Bashi Channel. The northernmost islands are about 240 km south of Taiwan and the southernmost islands approximately 24 km from Borneo. The country has a total land area of some 300 000 km2. It is divided into three geographical areas: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. It has 17 regions, 79 provinces, 115 cities, 1495 municipalities and 41 956 barangays (the smallest geographic and political unit). It has over 100 ethnic groups and a myriad of foreign influences (including Malay, Chinese, Spanish and American).

Jordan, one of the most recently established countries in the Middle East, was part of the Ottoman Empire. It was declared a political entity known as Transjordan under the mandate of the British government in 1923, until it gained independence and was declared a Kingdom in 1946. In 1950, Transjordan and the West Bank were united and assumed the current name of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The next major change for the Kingdom came in 1967, when the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip by Israeli forces caused a massive influx of migrants to the East Bank.

Malawi is a country with an approximate area of 118 000 km2. Its population is estimated at 13 million and the gender ratio (men per hundred women) is 98. The proportion of the population under the age of 15 years is 47% and the proportion above the age of 60 years is 5%. The literacy rate is 75.5% for men and 48.7% for women (World Health Organization, 2005).

The intense historical relationship linking Jamaica and Britain to 300 years of the transatlantic slave trade and 200 years of colonialism has left 2.7 million souls living in Jamaica, 80% of African origin, 15% of mixed Creole background and 5% of Asian Indian, Chinese and European ancestry. With a per capita gross domestic product of US$4104 in 2007, one-third of the population is impoverished, the majority struggling for economic survival. The prevailing religion is Protestant, although the presence of African retentions such as Obeah and Pocomania are still widely and profoundly experienced, and the powerful Rastafarian movement emerged as a countercultural religious force after 1930. The paradox and contradictions of five centuries of Jamaican resistance to slavery and colonial oppression have spawned a tiny, resilient, creative, multicultural island people, who have achieved a worldwide philosophical, political and religious impact, phenomenal sporting prowess, astonishing musical and performing creativity, and a criminal underworld that has stunned by its propensity for violence.

With an area of 450 000 km2, Sweden is one of the largest countries in Western Europe. It is 1500 km from north to south. It has nearly 9 million inhabitants (20 per km2). It is a constitutional, hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary government. Sweden is highly dependent on international trade to maintain its high productivity and good living standards. Many public services are provided by Sweden's 289 municipalities and 21 county councils. Municipal responsibilities include schools, child care and care of the elderly, as well as social support for people with a chronic mental illness. The county councils are mainly responsible for healthcare, including psychiatric care, and public transport at the regional level. Sweden is characterised by an even distribution of incomes and wealth. This is partly a result of the comparatively large role of the public sector.

Mongolia is a country with an approximate area of 1.5 million km2. Its population is 2.5 million, nearly 90% of whom are ethnically Mongolian. Khalkh Mongols form the largest subgroup (approximately 79% of the population); the next largest subgroup is the Kazakhs (5.3%), followed by smaller groups such as Tuvins, Uzbeks, Uighurs, Russian and Chinese. The population is young, with 35.9% under the age of 15 years. The official language is Mongolian. Just under half the population live in rural areas and around a fifth live a nomadic life. About 80% of the land area is suitable for agriculture, mostly for animal husbandry.

How many members of the College know about the state of psychiatry in Nigeria or Egypt? Perhaps just a few. How many would be interested in knowing more? Perhaps many. The country profiles section of International Psychiatry attempts to narrow this information-and-awareness gap.

Country profiles provide summary information on mental health policy, services, training and research in the country, along with key references for more details. The aim is to give a bird's eye view of the situation within about 1500 words. It is hoped that this will not only increase the reader's awareness of distant and often forgotten countries, but also provide an opportunity for learning from others’ experiences. The profiles can also open possibilities for further dialogue and even collaboration.

Uzbekistan is a landlocked central Asian country with an area of 447 400 km2. It borders Kazakhstan in the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in the east, Turkmenistan in the west and Afghanistan in the south. Uzbekistan has 14 regions (provinces). In 1991 it emerged as a sovereign country after more than a century of Russian rule — first as part of the Russian empire and then as a component of the Soviet Union.

Nigeria is a huge country. It covers an area of 924 000 km2 on the west coast of Africa. It has a population of about 110 million, which means that every one in six Africans is a Nigerian. It is a country of diverse ethnicity, with over 200 spoken languages, even though three of those are spoken by about 60% of the population. Administratively, it is divided into 36 states and operates a federal system of government, with constitutional responsibilities allocated to the various tiers of government – central, state and local. There are two main religions, Islam (predominantly in the north) and Christianity (predominantly in the south). However, a large proportion of the people still practise traditional religions exclusively or in addition to either Islam or Christianity.