Welcome to EACD2014 in Vienna

Dear colleagues

I am happy to invite you to the 26th annual meeting of the EACD which will be held from July 3-5, 2014 in Vienna, Austria.

We chose the theme of this meeting with respect to a book of the Austrian artist and poet Alfred Kubin entitled “The Other Side“. Written in 1909, the book is not easy to read and there are innumerable interpretations of its text and illustrations, ranging from Kubin anticipating the atrocities of World War I to giving insights into the chasm of human soul. It also shows that things can be a lot different to what they appear.

The logo of the annual meeting 2014 is a part of a drawing of a Viennese artist who lives in a facility for autistic people. The logo is mostly conceived enjoyable. Although it seems that every horse has the same shape and looks in the same direction. However, in the original picture with its 91 horses, there are not two of them looking alike. From a clinical point of view we tend to prioritize the signs of pathology as we are trained to search for them. However, looking at “the other side“ of the picture is to observe it from an artistic point of view - one might be impressed by the differences within the similarities.
Therefore the theme of the meeting shall remind us that each thing, every action, every kind of observable behaviour can also be seen from another perspective – it has an “other side“.

By looking at “the other side“ of annual meetings, we intended to have a look – not only, but also – at some topics that are usually not covered. One to be addressed will be neuropsychoanalysis. Some 20 years ago psychoanalysis was thought to be at its end. There was much critique of its claims and it was said to be not scientific at all. Meanwhile modern neuroscience supports many of the theories of Sigmund Freud and other psychoanalysts. It could be shown, e.g., that there are many more unconscious processes in our brain than conscious ones. These influence our daily life even more than we can imagine. Similar is the impact of our emotions. We are convinced this topic will be of interest to all who work in the field of medicine.
Vienna is said to be one of the capitals of music. The effects of music on our brain and body and its effects in therapy will be covered at the Vienna meeting.
Another topic we want to cover is an easily overlooked one. It is one we are not pleased with, once confronted with it. Meant is the abuse of disabled children. As you surely know, disabled children are more often abused than non-disabled ones. There is too little research done to handle the problem of the child and the family or how to treat the traumatization of the abused child. This applies also to epidemiology and how to diagnose it. Other topics will be: Sleep disorders in disabled children, the former preterm baby, poverty and disability, prevention of disability, paediatric brain injury – a chronic disorder?, goal-setting in habilitation and a parents’-session: talking with parents – what professionals should know, and the future of our children.

Reed Messe Wien, the venue of the annual meeting 2014, is a modern and flexible congress centre and hosts national and international congresses around the year. Close to the city centre it is easy to reach by public transportation.
As Hans Forssberg reminded me some time ago, in 1814 there was the “Wiener Kongress“ where after the defeat of Napoleon a new order was established in Europe. In the evenings there were many balls and receptions held in Vienna and people said “der Kongress tanzt“ (“the congress is dancing“). Following these traditions we will celebrate an evening event which fits the EACD and its members: you will have the opportunity to test the effects of music on your brain and body…

We hope that the program will be attractive for many of you. We are looking forward to seeing you at the annual meeting 2014.