Experts from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) are presenting their symposium on mental health and its role in sustainable, industrialised societies on Monday 11 October 2010.

As China’s economy grows, its people must adapt to rapid urbanisation and new working environments. China’s leaders recognise that stress and mental illness are challenges that need to be overcome in order to sustain development – leading to an important Sino-UK collaboration via the IMH and Shanghai Mental Health Centre (SMHC).

This meeting will bring together 80 senior clinicians, academics, social agencies, diplomats and company executives from the international community. Delegates will share experiences and strategies for innovative practice in psychiatry and mental health services within sustainable industrialised societies focusing on China’s new mega-cities. The event seeks to provoke debate and further collaboration, levering the new IMH-SMHC academic exchange programme.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor and University of Nottingham World Expo lead, Professor Chris Rudd said: “Sustainable cities require innovative solutions to planning, buildings and resources. But they also need to adapt infrastructure and services to support a healthy population. We’re delighted to move our sustainability seminar series beyond a pure technology focus and to work with leading practitioners from east and west in doing so.”

Professor Nick Manning, Director of IMH, said: “Besides giving the Expo presentation, we are looking forward to holding two research symposia - one with colleagues at the School of Public Health at Fudan University which is one of China’s top universities, and one with Shanghai Mental Health Centre which is the city’s major psychiatric hospital.

"Our reciprocal arrangement with the Shanghai Mental Health Centre permits researchers to spend time in the UK or China. By finding out more about mental health needs and services in China we will be better placed to undertake joint research and to promote excellence in service provision.”

Every family is likely to be affected in some way by mental health issues. Social change and economic development bring new stresses for individuals and families. Childhood disorders can have huge long-term costs if left untreated. Worldwide, depression and anxiety affect up to a quarter of adults at some point in their lives, impairing quality of life and productivity.

Increased longevity also means that more people develop dementia, with implications for long-term care of the population. Attending to the mental wellbeing of a population is one key to sustainability. Interventions to protect and promote mental health are likely to promote resilience, productivity and social cohesion.

The University of Nottingham’s exhibition and series of expert-led events is running from May until the end of October in the London ZEDpavilion, part of the Zero Carbon Living Space zone at Shanghai Expo 2010.

The event on Monday 11th October 2010 runs from 18:00–22:00pm. More information can be found here: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/shanghaiexpo2010/Events/BookingForm/mentalhealth.aspx