ISAM 2015, the world’s major Congress on Addiction Medicine, to get underway in Dundee
Published On Fri 2 Oct 2015 by Grant Hill
The world’s major scientific conference on addiction medicine will open in Dundee next week.
The 17th International Society of Addiction Medicine (ISAM) Congress, hosted by the University of Dundee, takes place at the Caird Hall from Monday 5th October to Thursday 8th October. Hundreds of leading experts from around the globe, including representatives from the World Health Organisation, US National Institute on Drug Abuse, US National Institute of Alcohol and Alcoholism, United Nations and the European Monitoring Centre for Drug and Drug Abuse are taking part.
Addiction, and the healthcare challenges it presents, is a global problem. The ISAM World Congress 2015 is being convened with the theme of ‘Addiction: From Biology to Recovery - translating research evidence to improve clinical practice and community resilience’.
It will be preceded by a public debate at the University of Dundee on Saturday, October 3rd on the issue ‘Should drugs be legalised in Scotland?’ featuring pro- and anti-legalisation views from some of Scotland’s leading experts. ISAM Dundee 2015 will also incorporate an Art and Culture Festival which has been inspired by the local communities experiencing the consequences of substance misuse.
Dr Alex Baldacchino, Clinical Senior Lecturer in Addiction Psychiatry at the University of Dundee and Clinical Lead and Consultant in Addiction Psychiatry for NHS Fife, is President of ISAM Dundee 2015.
He said, “I am delighted to welcome colleagues from around the world to Scotland. This is the major scientific meeting in the field of addiction medicine and it is a reflection of the University of Dundee’s standing that we have been chosen to host this year’s Congress.
“A core concept emerging from scientific advances over the past decade is that dependence or addiction is fundamentally a chronic relapsing brain condition that develops over time as a result of a combination of pre-morbid vulnerabilities and chronic use of psychoactive substances.
“The consequence to some is an uncontrollable, compulsive-like dysfunctional behaviour that will severely impact on the individual’s day-to-day existence within one’s own immediate family and surrounding community. Understanding resilience is not to eliminate stress or erase life’s difficulties. Instead, it gives people the strength to tackle problems, overcome adversity and move on with their lives.”
The scientific programme will include around 45 workshops on: addiction mechanisms, comorbid mental and/or physical health issues and substance misuse, health inequalities, alcohol and drug policies, HIV and co-occurring infections, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in addiction medicine and innovative treatment interventions. There will also be 10 keynote lectures.
Dr Gregory Bunt, President of ISAM, said, “We are delighted to be heading to Dundee for our Congress, which promises to be unique in its style, excellent in its content and memorable in its experience.”
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