President's message

To menmers and Friends of ISSPD

While we are facing major reconceptualizations of personality disorders and their psychopathology, an ongoing work in the hands of the DSM V workgroup with the future of several personality disorders still to be determined, ISSPD is making steady  progress  in  several areas.

The next International ISSPD Congress  will be in Australia, March 1 – 4, 2011.  Drs. Andrew Chanen and his colleagues are organizing this meeting which will focus on bridging research and practice and specifically highlight translational research and contemporary clinical practice. Keynote speakers are: Drs.  John Gunderson, Sabine Herpertz, Perry Hoffman,  Roger Mulder,  Kenneth Silk,  Andrew Skodol,  Jean Twenge,  Peter Tyrer and Andrew Chanen. Pre-conference workshops held on 1 March 2011 will  cover Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT),  “Good Enough” Treatment for BPD, Rational Pharmacotherapy, Social Problems of BPD,  Mentalization Based Treatment and DBT.  This is a very important and exciting milestone in ISSPD’s international efforts. It is the first Congress to be held in the Asian/Australian Region, a Region that has featured substantial interest and independent research on personality disorders over recent  years.  I really encourage members and friends of ISSPD to attend this Congress as it is an opportunity not only to learn about and support the development of personality disorder activities in this Region but also to explore a very interesting part of the world. Australia offers fantastic cultural, city and nature experiences and there will be ample opportunities in conjunction with the congress to explore various sites of interest in the Southeastern Australia.

Those who want to attend the congress can register on line by visiting the congress web site: www.isspd2011.com.au .  Note that the Early Bird registration date is December 3, 2010. As a member of ISSPD you get a discount on the registration fee. Please remember to pay your ISSPD membership fee for year 2011 ahead of time, and prior to your Congress registration, especially if you choose to register on site in Melbourne.  ISSPD membership fee can be paid on line by visiting the ISSPD web site: www.isspd.com

The XIII International ISSPD Congress will be in Copenhagen in 2013. Erik Simonsen is organizing this 25th anniversary Congress commemorating the founding site of ISSPD and its first Congress held in 1988.

During the past year there have been several important activities.  The First International Congress on Borderline Personality Disorder, BPD, held in Berlin in July of 2010, was organized by Martin Bohus and co-sponsored by ISSPD. It was a most successful milestone with nearly 1700 attendees from 53 different countries.  Immense progress in both basic and applied research as well as in clinical management and treatment of BPD has gradually contributed to a more cohesive understanding of the complex borderline syndrome.  This congress integrated social, neuro- biological, cognitive, medical and therapeutic evidence and approaches to BPD, and plans are made for the next BPD Congress to be held in the Netherlands in 2012.

In conjunction with this congress the European Society for the Study of Personality Disorders, ESSPD was founded. The founder of ESSPD, Thomas Rinne, ISSPD Vice President and President of the European Region, presented the aims and the organizational structure with its Bylaws at the Society’s founding meeting in Berlin. The first to become President of this Society is Anthony Bateman, with Martin Bohus as Vice President.  Endorsed by ISSPD, the aim of ESSPD is to encourage education and research on personality disorders as well as collaborative efforts across countries in Europe. Especially focused on the specific needs of the European personality disorder field, ESSPD strives to actively expand to countries in which knowledge and treatment are less developed.  For further information about ESSPD visit the website: www.esspd.eu . Upcoming ESSPD events include an Educational conference planned for September 2011, in Belgrade Serbia and the next International BPD Congress mentioned earlier.

In accordance with the results from the ISSPD Membership  Survey in 2009, the ISSPD Executive Board decided at its meeting in New Orleans in May 2010 to  make revisions in the Society’s  Bylaws  and  institute advisory voting for ISSPD Members.  In addition, the Board decided at its meeting in Berlin in July, to introduce a President Elect position, a “step-up” position for Presidency with a 2 year term.  Andrew Chanen from Australia was elected. The revised  Bylaws will be  featured on the ISSPD Website.

2011 is the year of  major elections, and I encourage all Members of ISSPD to actively participate in the nomination and election process by sending in your proposals for candidates to the ISSPD’s Board and its committees. Erik Simonsen is the Chair of the nomination committee.

In between meetings the ISSPD Web site is the most important source of information and base for communication between Members of ISSPD and between the ISSPD Board and the members. The website is also increasingly serving as a source of information for the public.  I strongly encourage our present members and those who want to become members in ISSPD to pay the membership fee for 2011, by visiting the ISSPD website:  Your support of the aims and activities of ISSPD is most valuable, especially in this time when so much is under consideration and debate and the future diagnostic outline of personality disorder is still to be determined.

I am truly looking forward to seeing ISSPD Members and Friends at our next International Congress in Melbourne Australia, March 1 – 4, 2011.

• The President’s Letter January, 2010