Psychiatric Bulletin (2003) 27: 472. doi: 10.1192/pb.27.12.472
© 2003 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Psychiatric Bulletin (2003) 27: 472
© 2003 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Dr Benedetto Saraceno
(Introduced by Professor Hamid Ghodse)
Dr Benedetto Saraceno is the Director of the Department of Mental Health
and Substance Dependence of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva -
and, as such, can be said to be responsible for the world’s mental
health. Leading up to this elevated position is a career of considerable
eminence, of which I can only offer a brief outline now. Benedetto Saraceno
graduated as a doctor from the University of Milan and moved swiftly into
psychiatric practice, obtaining his post-doctoral degree in psychiatry from
the University of Parma. He progressed from strength to strength and soon
became Chief of the Psychiatric Unit at the Mario Negri Institute for
Pharmacological Research, with a distinguished academic record. But his
interest in a broader landscape for his talents was manifest by his gaining a
qualification in public health and epidemiology. This led him towards the
international stage and during the 1990s he contributed to a number of WHO
projects in South and Latin American countries. This in turn led on to his
appointment as the Head of the Laboratory of Epidemiology and Social
Psychiatry and Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and
Training in Mental Health at the Mario Negri Institute.
Later, in 1996, he moved to Geneva as Programme Manager in the Division of
Mental Health and Prevention of Substance Abuse. Yet again, he made his mark
and, with the reorganisation of the WHO, he was appointed Director of the
Department of Mental Health and Substance Dependence - a post in which he has
continued to demonstrate his industry and leadership. For example, he
convinced the WHO to designate 2001 as the World Health Organization Mental
Health Year and to dedicate the World Health Report of 2001 to mental health.
This is the first time that mental health has been accorded such a prominent
position in the WHO Programme of Action and, for those of us who work in and
are dedicated to services that are often perceived as ‘Cinderella
services’, such recognition is very important. It also illustrates the
underlying theme of Benedetto Saraceno’s professional life, which has
been dedicated to the need of giving voice to the underserved, the excluded
and the poor. This topic was a major preoccupation for him as a young
psychiatrist working in Italy, when he led the Italian psychiatric reform; it
was broadened during his service in Latin America, and was the key issue of
his WHO programme ‘Nations for Mental Health’. The same topic is
the main axis of the new WHO mental health Global Action Programme.
Dr Saraceno is also committed to the international role of the Royal
College of Psychiatrists, with the firm belief that the College has a unique
position in training, education and advocacy. His initiative led to a
memorandum of understanding between the College and the WHO for research
training fellowships and, with his persuasive encouragement, the WHO is firmly
committed to closer collaboration with the College.
In summary, Dr Saraceno, with his distinguished academic and clinical
background, is a psychiatrist of significant stature. He can be singled out as
an individual who has made, and continues to make, a major contribution to
global mental health, by his sustained and vigorous efforts for the
advancement of psychiatry and mental health around the world, and particularly
for those who are least able to speak for themselves. As such, he is eminently
worthy of the highest honour that the College can bestow - an Honorary
Fellowship. For us, the presence among us, of a person of such high
international esteem, emphasises the importance of mental health as a global
issue. It is therefore a great pleasure for me to present Dr Benedetto
Saraceno to you as an Honorary Fellow of this College.
The Vote of Thanks on behalf of the Honorary Fellows for 2003 was given by
Mr John Bowis, OBE, MEP.
