Who We Are
The Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN) was first mooted in 1969 and inaugurated in 1970. At the onset of psychiatry practice in Nigeria, many of the pioneer psychiatrists worked within government establishments in the university system and in federal and state government owned hospitals.
Today, the APN has grown in membership and reach to now include specialists and trainees in public and private spheres of clinical and academic activity. The members of the association consist of psychiatrists and registered affiliates from all over the country and the diaspora.
The principal activities
of the APN among others include:
- Executive Committee meetings
- Organization of conferences, workshops and seminars on current topical mental health issues
- Organization of an annual scientific conference and general meeting
- Organization and provision of co-ordinated mental health services, training and research by maintaining local and international links with Government and Non-Governmental organizations and agencies
- Facilitate relevant policy formulation and laws that promote mental health services and protect the rights of the mentally ill
The mission
of the APN includes:
- Foster a close working relationship among psychiatrists in the country
- Promote the exchange of ideas among peers
- Improve the capacity for mental health service delivery and research in the country
- Collaborate and affiliate where necessary with other medical societies around the globe particularly those in the mental health sciences
- Advocate on the causes and treatment of mental illness among the general populace
- Facilitate the training of psychiatrists in Nigeria
- Facilitate continuing medical education among psychiatrists and other allied mental health professionals
- Maintain a high standard of professional ethics, conduct and practice among psychiatrists in Nigeria