Serbian Psychiatric Association (SPA) is a non-profit organization of psychiatrists living and working in the Republic of Serbia.
The Association has the following objectives:
- Collecting knowledge on current state and needs of psychiatric services, as well as creating possibilities for education in the field of psychiatry and mental health care in the country.
- Organizational improvement of mental health care in the community, based on scientific, humanistic and holistic principles, with emphasis on territorial responsibility, continuus care and interdisciplinary practice (psychiatry for the person).
- Work on harmonization of educational programs at undergraduate and postgraduate studies in the field of psychiatry, including residency education and continuous medical education (CME).
- Orientation towards ethical principles of psychiatric practice and of all kind of mental health care in the country
- Destigmatization of persons with mental disorders, as well as destigmatization of psychiatry and psychiatrists.
- Establishing partnership with governmental and intergovernmental organizations (World Health Organization, United Nations, World Bank, UNESCO, European Union), as well as with nongovernmental organizations, aimed at mental health improvement
- Improving communication, organizational and functional aspects of work of the Association and its cooperation with international psychiatric associations such as World Psychiatric Association, regarding sectorial activities (organization of meetings, education, research activities and publication).
- Invitation to the Government of Serbia and international organizations to cooperate with the Association regarding the development and enforcement of the mental health care policy, expert education and research, as well as providing adequate financing according to current health-economical data regarding global burden of mental disorders
