The Pacific Rim College of Psychiatrists (PRCP) was founded in 1980 with the intended motto to be the voice of Asia Pacific Psychiatry. PRCP aims to support the improvement of education, research in psychiatry and mental health through greater professional collaboration in the Asia Pacific Region as well as to become the platform for meeting in the biennial conference, which from now on, will be so named as; The International Congress of PRCP (formerly called the Scientific Meeting of PRCP).

The Pacific Rim is a region of great diversity, it contains several of the largest and most populous countries in the world as well as some of the smallest.

In recent years, the rapid mental health developments, in the countries of this dynamic region, have faced many challenges and has the need for some complex solutions. It seems very appropriate for us to discuss and share experiences on this topic. So, the theme of the 18th International Congress of PRCP will be: “Mental Health Development in the Pacific Rim: Future Challenges and Solutions”. We hope that this meeting will stimulate great interest in mental health services, education as well as research. This congress will be a good opportunity for all professionals involved in the care of mental illnesses such as; psychiatrists, psychologists, mental health nurses, social workers, academics, researchers, and also for care givers, social agents and policy makers, to join, share and elaborate on the current state of the art and future directions of services and research for mental health developments.

Lastly, it is my great honour to invite all of you to participate in the 18^th International Congress of PRCP, which will be held over; 26^th -28^th October 2018 at the Sedona Hotel, Yangon, Myanmar. I am looking forward to seeing you all in Yangon in 2018.

Yours sincerely,
Prof. Pichet Udomratn, M.D.
President of Pacific Rim College of Psychiatrists (PRCP)
PRCP 2018 Congress President