JSPN Fellowship

Indian Association for Social Psychiatry (IASP) institutes various sponsorships to promote growth in the field of social psychiatry. Application for the 2025 “Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology Fellowship Award” are now open to all members of IASP. Two IASP members will be nominated for this award from IASP by the Executive Council . The nominations will be forwarded to the JSPN and final approval will be provided by the JSPN. The last date for submission for the award to IASP is 8th September 2024. Applications submitted after this date will not be considered. The last date for application to JSPN is September 25th, 2024 (Japan time)

Please use the following form to upload your application to the Indian Association for Social Psychiatry.

GUIDELINES FOR APPLICATION:

Application deadline: September 25th, 2024 (Japan Time)

The Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology (JSPN) is now accepting applications for the JSPN Fellowship Award, which is presented to early-career psychiatrists from Asia and around the world. The purpose of this award is to recognize early-career, outstanding psychiatrists and to encourage academic discussion and personal friendships with early-career Japanese psychiatrists at the 121st annual meeting of the JSPN from June 19th to 21st, 2025 in Kobe, Japan.

The awardees and Japanese psychiatrists have collaborated to produce academic publications. Their achievements can be found here.

Eligibility

  1. Be 40 years old or less, or have 10 years or less experience in psychiatry when the JSPN Annual Meeting is held in 2025
  2. Not be previous recipients of the JSPN Fellowship Award
  3. Belong to a World Psychiatric Association member society

(World Psychiatric Association member society is defined as the organizations listed on the World Psychiatric Association website.

https://www.wpanet.org/member-societies

To ensure broad participation from around the world, the JSPN accepts nominations from each society up to a maximum of two applicants.)

Selected applicants will be expected to:

  • Stay at a designated accommodation site
  • Give a presentation at one of the Award symposia (on the topic for which the recipient applied)
  • Participate in the meetings for Fellowship Awardees and hospital visits
  • Attend other programs for Fellowship Awardees, including future Fellowship Award Alumni programs

Requirements to receive the award:

  • Selected applicants must present at the fellowship award symposium in person at which they will be appointed. Online presentation is not permitted.
  • Selected applicants must attend the entire program dedicated to fellowship awardees as a general rule, including the meetings for fellowship awardees and hospital visits.
  • Selected applicants must attend the award ceremony which will be held during the annual congress. 
  • (The JSPN may amend the above criteria considering the domestic and global situation such as disasters and pandemics.)

Privileges

  • Awardee will receive a prize (JPY 70,000 for Awardee from World Bank A and B category countries, and JPY 140,000 for those from C and D category countries ).Prize money will be given in cash at the venue.
  • 4 nights and 5 days of accommodation will be provided for the duration specified by the JSPN.
  • The annual meeting registration fee will be waived.
  • The fee for the reception party will be waived.

* Please note that transportation expenses will not be covered.

Required Submission Materials

Applicants must choose one of the following two topics and submit an abstract of 200 – 250 words in length.

1. Natural disasters and mental health, including due to global climate change

The 121st Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology will be held in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture. Kobe was the site of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake on January 17, 1995, which triggered widespread awareness of post-disaster psychological care and PTSD in Japan.

Natural disasters are catastrophic events with atmospheric, geologic and hydrologic origins, including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, tsunamis, floods and drought. Natural disasters can trigger other disasters through human activities and cause increased damage. For example, in the Noto Peninsula earthquake in Japan on January 1st, 2024, the earthquake not only triggered a tsunami, but also caused a major fire due to the collapse of houses.

The impact of natural disasters on mental health is enormous. Not only do natural disasters cause stress and grief reactions, but they also worsen mental health status through community disruption, financial strain, displacement, and changes in close relationships. On the other hand, it is important to remember that there are many psychologically recovered survivors.

Climate change-related disasters are also a global concern. However, the link between exposure to chronic climate change-related events, such as sea level rise and permafrost melt, and mental health has not been fully explored. A recent review found that indigenous people, children, older adults, and climate migrants are among the vulnerable populations whose mental health is most affected by climate change.

Applicants are required to submit an abstract responding to the following questions.

In your country/region,

Q1. What activities have been done in the past to address post-disaster mental health? You can focus on the individual, household, community, and societal levels.

Q2. What natural disasters/global climate change-related disasters are most likely to affect mental health in the next 10 years, and what effects will be seen?

Q3. What activities should be undertaken to understand and support community strengths, build resilience, and promote positive mental health and well-being as part of disaster preparedness?

2. Case Vignette

16-year-old girl Chief Complaint: Nightmares, fear of middle-aged men, flashbacks, school absence, depressed mood, self-blame

Past Medical History: None documented

Personal History: The patient is a single child with no apparent perinatal or developmental issues. Her parents did not get along, argued since before she started school, and divorced when she was in second grade. She then lived with her mother, who worked all day and night, so she was frequently left alone at her grandmother’s home. She was well-behaved in school, athletic, and seemed to enjoy spending time with her friends.

History of Present Illness: She enrolled in a local public junior high school and joined the basketball club. However, a few months later, she became uncomfortable at the basketball club due to a disagreement among the members. She gradually became depressed, was unable to concentrate on her studies, and her grades dropped dramatically. Her mother reprimanded her on a daily basis for the sudden drop in her grades, and she began cutting her wrists in her room. She spoke with the basketball team’s male coach, and after several occasions, the coach began inviting her to his home. Over several visits to the coach’s home, she was approached for sexual contact, which led to sexual intercourse. After a sex education class at the end of her first year of middle school, she began to believe she was dirty, but she felt guilty for going to the coach’s house on her own and couldn’t tell anyone about it. She couldn’t say no because she was afraid the coach would abandon her or lower her grades, so she endured sexual abuse until she graduated from junior high. After starting high school, she developed a fear of middle-aged men, nightmares, and depressive moods, and she began self-harming on a daily basis. Her mother, concerned about her frequent absences from school, took her to the doctor.

Mental State Examination: A female of medium height, medium build who appears to be age-appropriate but weak and fragile. She has long sleeves covering her arms and is slumped over, her eyes downcast. She talks about her distress over having vivid memories of the male coach, having nightmares in her sleep, feeling guilty for asking him out, and pleading not to tell her mother about the sexual contact.

Applicants are required to submit an abstract responding to the following questions. 

Q1. What is your diagnosis and treatment plan when you see this patient?

Q2. Please describe the current situation of sexual victimization in child, adolescent and youth and the provided medical and welfare support for them in your country.

Q3. Please describe how the interview is designed to the patients with sexual victimization in your country, where the examination itself can lead to “reliving” the damage.