Universiti Malaya Centre for Addiction Sciences (UMCAS)

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MENTAL HEALTH, ADDICTION & COMORBIDITIES (MHAC) 2026

Programme Details

Pre-Conference Day - Friday, 27 November 2026

Time	Programme	Venue
08:00-08:30	Registration and Breakfast	Wisma R&D Building, UM
08.30-1230	Three Parallel Pre-Conference Workshops	Levels 21-1, 21-2 and 21-3
12:30	Workshop Evaluation and End of Pre-Conference Day	Respective Workshop Rooms

Time	Pre-Conference Workshop 1: Clinical Application and Advanced Management of Opioid Dependence Venue: Level 21-1 Wisma R&D Building, University Malaya (UM)
08.00-0830	Registration and opening by chairperson
0830-0915	Advanced Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence: Optimization, Relapse Prevention and Emerging Therapeutic Approaches
0915- 1000	Psychiatric Comorbidity in Opioid Dependence: Depression, Anxiety Disorders, Psychosis and Dual Diagnosis
1000 -1015	Break
1015 -1100	Management of Complex Cases in Opioid Dependence: Medical Comorbidities, Special Populations and Challenging Clinical Scenarios
1100- 1145	Naltrexone Implant in Addiction Medicine: Patient Selection, Clinical Outcomes and Future Directions
1145-1230	The Role of Enforcement in Ensuring Responsible Use of Controlled Medications: Pharmacist Regulations for Methadone and Suboxone.
1230 -0100	Wrapped Session /Lunch

Time	Pre-Conference Workshop 2: Practical Mental Health Care in Primary Care: Recognition, Brief Intervention, Safe Treatment and Referral Venue: Level 21-2 Wisma R&D Building, University Malaya (UM)
08.00-0830	Registration and opening by chairperson
0830-0915	Mental Health in the Primary Care Consultation: Recognizing the Common and the Easily Missed
0915- 1000	From Symptoms to a Working Diagnosis: Rapid Assessment, Screening and Risk Stratification
1000 -1015	Break
1015 -1100	What Can I Do in a 10–15 Minute Consultation? Brief Psychosocial Interventions for Primary Care
1100- 1145	Psychopharmacology for the Primary Care Doctor: Start, Monitor, Switch or Refer?
1145-1230	The Difficult Mental Health Consultation: Crisis, Suicide Risk, Psychosis, Substance Use and When to Refer
1230 -0100	Wrapped Session /Lunch

Time	Pre-Conference Workshop 3: Behavioural Therapy in Digital Addiction: From Assessment to Recovery-Oriented Care (En Khairul Razali, Psychology Officer, UMMC) Venue: Level 21-3 Wisma R&D Building, Universiti Malaya (UM)
0800 – 0830	Registration and opening by chairperson
0830 – 1000	Psychological Interventions in Internet and Gaming Addictions (Part 1: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy)
1000 – 1015	Break
1015 – 1145	Psychological Interventions in Internet and Gaming Addictions (Part 2: Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy)
1145 – 1215	Case Discussion & Closing Remarks
1215 – 1300	Wrapped Session /Lunch

28^th November 2026 (DAY 1)

Time	Programme
08:00-08:30	Registration and Poster Mounting					Registration Area
08:30-08:45	Welcoming Remarks by the Host and Conference Chairperson					Main Auditorium
08:45-09:30	*Plenary 1: Dual Diagnosis 2.0: Integrating Mental Illness, Substance Use, Behavioral Addictions and Physical Health* Speaker 1: Understanding Clinical Complexity: Assessment and Concurrent Treatment of Mental Health and Substance-Use Disorders (Professor Dr Mohamad Hussain Bin Habil, Malaysia) Speaker 2: From Parallel Services to Coordinated Care: Building Effective Multidisciplinary Dual-Diagnosis Pathways (Associate Professor Dr Rusdi Bin Abd Rashid, Malaysia)					Main Auditorium
09:30-10:15	*Plenary 2: Emerging Nicotine Products in Mental Health and Addiction Care: Clinical Evidence and Public Health Perspectives* Speaker 1 (Public Health Perspective) Emerging Nicotine Products: Public Health, Policy and Population Perspectives (Professor Sharifah Ezat, Malaysia) Speaker 2 (Clinical Perspective) Emerging Nicotine Products in Mental Health and Addiction Care: Clinical Evidence and Practice (TBC)					Main Auditorium
10:15-10:45	Plenary 3: Beyond the Silos: A Whole-Person and Whole-System Response to Mental Health, Addiction and Comorbidities (Professor Dr Mustafa al'Absi, USA)					Main Auditorium
10:45-11:15	Official Launching, Morning Refreshments and Poster Viewing					Main Auditorium / Exhibition Area
11:15-12:15	Parallel Symposium Block I: Symposia 1 -3					Main Auditorium / Breakout Rooms 1-2
11:15-12:15	Symposium 1: The Whole Person, Not the Diagnosis Concurrent and Coordinated Care Pathways for Mental Health and Substance-Use Comorbidity Cardiometabolic Disease, Obesity and Premature Mortality in Severe Mental Illness HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Infectious-Disease Comorbidity in People Who Use Drugs Chronic Pain, Sleep Disturbance, Polypharmacy and Substance-Use Risk	Symposium 2: Growing Up Online: Youth Mental Health in the Digital Ecosystem Problematic Gaming, Social-Media Use and Behavioural Addiction Among Young People Cyberbullying, Online Harassment and Exposure to Harmful Digital Content Sleep Disruption, Academic Pressure and Emotional Dysregulation in the Connected Generation AI Companions, Chatbots and Emerging Digital Relationships: Benefits, Risks and Safeguards			Symposium 3: Trauma, Family, Gender and Safeguarding Adverse Childhood Experiences, Mental Illness and Substance-Use Vulnerability Family Dynamics, Caregiver Burden and Intergenerational Trauma Domestic Violence, Child Protection and Safeguarding Responsibilities Across Services Gender-Responsive, Culturally Sensitive and Trauma-Informed Models of Care	Main Auditorium / Breakout Rooms 1-2
12:15-12.45	Rapid Oral Presentations and Moderated Poster Viewing					Exhibition Area
12:45-14:00	Sponsored Lunch Symposium (TBC)					Dining Room/Exhibition Area
14:00-14:45	*Plenary 4: Artificial Intelligence and Digital Mental Health: Innovation, Bias, Privacy and Human Oversight* Speaker 1: Transforming Mental Healthcare: Artificial Intelligence, Digital Therapeutics and Data-Driven Clinical Support (Professor Dr Suzaily Binti Wahab, Malaysia) Speaker 2: Responsible for Digital Mental Health: Addressing Bias, Privacy, Safety and Clinical Accountability (Dr Faizul Hasan, Thailand)					Main Auditorium
14:45-15:45	Parallel Symposium Block II: Symposia 4-6					Main Auditorium / Breakout Rooms 1-2
14:45-15:45	Symposium 4: Mental Health at Work: Beyond Individual Resilience Burnout, Moral Injury and Psychological Safety in Contemporary Workplaces Bullying, Harassment and Toxic Organizational Culture as Mental-Health Risks Mental Health of Healthcare Workers, Emergency Personnel and First Responders Organizational Accountability, Reasonable Accommodation and Sustainable Return to Work		Symposium 5: Recovery Capital, Peer Support and Social Prescribing Recovery Capital: Personal, Family, Social and Community Resources for Long-Term Recovery Peer-Support Workers and Meaningful Leadership by People with Lived Experience Integrated Care for PWUD by Lay Community Healthcare Workers Social Prescribing Through Arts, Sports, Volunteering and Community Participation	Symposium 6: Mental Health, Addiction, Justice and Human Rights Treatment and Rehabilitation as Alternatives to Conviction or Incarceration Mental-Health and Substance-Use Care in Prisons, Detention Centers and Police Custody Continuity of Treatment, Housing and Social Support Following Release Balancing Public Safety, Confidentiality, Patient Rights and Clinical Responsibility		Main Auditorium / Breakout Rooms 1-2
15:45-16:45	Afternoon Refreshments, Networking and Poster Viewing					Exhibition Area
16:45	End of Day 1

29^th November 2026 (DAY 2)

Time	Programme			Venue
08:00-08:30	Registration and Networking			Registration Area
08:30-09:15	Plenary 5: From Hospital to Community: Redesigning Mental Health and Addiction Services Around People’s Lives Speaker 1: Continuity Beyond Discharge: Recovery-Oriented Care, Peer Support and Community Reintegration (Professor Dr Zahra Binti Saad, Malaysia) Speaker 2: Community-Based Mental Health and Addiction Care: Strengthening Primary Care, Outreach and Early Intervention (Associate Professor Dr Mohd Nazri Bin Mohd Daud, Malaysia)			Main Auditorium
09:15-10:00	Plenary 6: The New Determinants of Mental Health: Loneliness, Digital Life, Work, Climate and Economic Insecurity Speaker 1: Mental Health in a Changing Social World: Loneliness, Digital Life and the Future of Work. (Dr Era Chatur, Indonesia) Speaker 2: Mental Well-Being Under Pressure: Climate Change, Economic Insecurity and Social Inequality. (Associate Professor Dr Azmawaty Binti Mohamad Nor, Malaysia)			Main Auditorium
10:00-10:30	Morning Refreshments and Poster Viewing			Exhibition Area
10:30-11:30	Parallel Symposium Block III: Symposia 7-9			Main Auditorium / Breakout Rooms 1-2
	Symposium 7: Integrating Mental Health into Primary and Community Care Early Identification and Management of Common Mental Disorders in Primary Care Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral for Substance-Use Disorders Collaborative Care and Task-Sharing Across Doctors, Nurses, Pharmacists and Counsellors Tele-Mental Health, Mobile Outreach and Rural or Underserved Communities	Symposium 8: Emerging and Personalized Treatments in Mental Healthcare Measurement-Based Care and Routine Outcome Monitoring in Clinical Practice Treatment-Resistant Depression and Schizophrenia: Contemporary Treatment Pathways Ketamine, Esketamine, Neuromodulation and Other Emerging Interventions Pharmacogenomics, Digital Therapeutics and Equity in Access to Personalized Care	Symposium 9: Suicide, Self-Harm and Crisis Response Across Settings Suicide Prevention as Public-Health and Multisectoral Responsibility Suicide and Self-Harm Among Adolescents, University Students and Young Adults Crisis Assessment, Safety Planning and Post-Discharge Continuity of Care Addiction and War in Iran in 2006: Psychological and Social Consequences of Conflict	Main Auditorium / Breakout Rooms 1-2
11:30-12:30	Plenary Forum: New Psychoactive Substances and Vaping: Emerging Threats, Clinical Challenges and Public Health Responses			Main Auditorium
12:30-13:00	Rapid Oral Presentations, Poster Judging and Networking			Exhibition Area
13:00-14:00	Sponsored Lunch Symposium (TBC)			Dining Room/Exhibition Area
14:00-15:00	Closing Plenary: *From Conference to Action: Developing the Kuala Lumpur Mental Health, Addiction and Comorbidity Agenda 2026* Speaker 1 From Fragmented Care to Coordinated Action: Strengthening Mental Health and Addiction Services (Associate Prof Dr Rusdi Bin Abd Rashid, Malaysia) Speaker 2 From Clinic to Community: Turning Mental Health and Addiction Plans into Local Action (Associate Prof Dr Nazri Bin Daud, Malaysia)			Main Auditorium
15:00-15:30	Closing Scientific Session, Kuala Lumpur Action Agenda, Awards and Closing			Main Auditorium
15:30	End of Conference			Main Auditorium

Click Here to Register

Poster presentation

Guideline for poster submissions

Submission Deadline: 15 October 2026

• Poster size: Maximum 55 cm × 85 cm

• Poster board: 1 m × 2 m

• Poster must be one single sheet, laminated or professionally printed.

• Content must be legible from approximately 2 meters.

• Presenters must be present during the designated Poster Session.

• Bring your own adhesive Velcro and scissors for mounting.

• No drawing pins, staples, sticky pads or other adhesives.

• Presenters are responsible for collecting their posters after the session.

Komune Living, Bangsar South (2.9 KM to UM)

Strategically located at the intersection of KL and PJ, Komune Living is easily accessible via major highways and well served by public transportation. You’re also just minutes away to must-see attractions and tourist landmarks in Malaysia’s capital city. How to find us? To give you a simple perspective, we have KL Gateway Mall on our left, Novum on our right, TM tower across the Federal Highway from us, and The Vertical, Bangsar South right behind us.

For more info please click here https://bangsarsouth.komuneliving.com/location

Wyndham Grand, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur (2.4 KM to UM)

Your Grand Stay Awaits in the Heart of Kuala Lumpur. Step into spacious guest rooms and suites designed with contemporary style and warm sophistication, complemented by breathtaking city views. Indulge in exceptional dining experiences at our signature restaurants, unwind at the stylish lobby lounge, or stay active at our fully equipped fitness center and outdoor pool.

For additional information, click here https://wyndhamgrandbangsarkl.com.my/

Signature Hotel, Bangsar South (2.7 KM to UM)

Good value for money for short stays or budget travel. Signature Hotel at Bangsar South places solo travelers in a lively Mid Valley/Bangsar district with upscale dining, nightlife and fast links to KL’s business hubs. Spacious rooms feature private balconies or terraces, in-room safes, refreshing showers and plush towels; select rooms showcase city views. Guests benefit from 24-hour room service and discreet security, a shuttle for easy transfers, plus free parking and nearby LRT Kerinchi for quick trips to Bangsar, Pantai Hospital and Mid Valley Megamall—all under 1 km for extensive shopping and dining options.

Find out more by click here https://signature-at-bangsar-south.hotels-kualalumpur.com/en/

MHAC 2026 Programme Schedule

Pre-Conference Day - Friday, 27 November 2026