The Association 

Dear WADD members

This is my first letter as President of WADD, and I feel very excited and honored to preside over this organization that continues to grow not only because of our work, but above all because it is necessary.

Let me say a few words as a tribute to our past president, Pedro Ruiz: He was president of the APA, the WPA and finally the WADD. He was one of the first psychiatrists to dedicate himself first to addictions and later to dual disorders, founding WADD. I come into the presidency with the challenge of succeeding Pedro Ruiz, to whom I send my thanks and affection from here.

Over all, thank all of you for trusting me to lead our society.

I will be joined this term by a diverse executive committee, all of them with strong experience in the field of dual disorders. Although they need no introduction, let me present my friends and colleagues on this team, to whom I am very grateful.

  • Icro Maremanni (vice president)
  • Caroline Salom ( treasure)
  • Yatan Balhara (secretary)
  • Pedro Ruiz (past president)
  • Ruben Baler
  • Oscar Dagnone
  • Javier Didia-Atta
  • Leo Sher
  • Marta Torrens

As we all know, there are many societies on mental disorders and many others on addictions. But we are the only scientific society in the world in the field of dual disorders.

Epidemiological evidence and neuroscience knowledge indicate that dual disorders are the expectation, not the exception, but they are still being ignored. Why is this?

According to the recent statement from UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Scientific Network: “Managing Dual Disorders” (Nora D. Volkow, Marta Torrens  et al. World Psychiatry 19:3 – October 2020) “Lack of attention is driven in part by lack of training of clinicians on how to diagnose and treat dual disorders, as well as by the structural differentiation and lack of coordination, in many countries, between programs to treat drug use disorders and those to treat other mental illnesses”
These indications will be an important part of our work.

We look forward to continuing and enhancing the development of our scientific society, WADD. Three full years of work await us but I think the effort is worth it.

Meanwhile, science continues to advance on many other fronts, we will continue to work together to develop the perspective of dual disorders, based on neuroscience and precision psychiatry that is much needed in this third decade of the 21st century.

We are going to need all your help, ideas and expertise to have a very strong WADD, which is what patients, families and society demand of us.

I look forward to writing and sending a letter  to every one  in WADD Newsletter regularly in my capacity as president, to maintain close and continuous contact with all of you.

I encourage all of you to participate in the next world WADD congress to be held in the wonderful Mexico City. Save the date june 21-24.

I’m sure it will be a great world congress and I hope to see all of you there
Thank you
Take care,
Best wishes

Nestor Szerman
President
World Association on Dual Disorders (WADD)

 

nestor_szerman
Nestor Szerman, M.D.
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