The Saudi Psychiatric Association (SPA) presents the First Khobar Conference on Psychiatry & Mental Health, a one-day scientific meeting on Saturday 14 November 2026 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Al Khobar, under the theme "Contemporary Psychiatry: From Evidence to Better Practice."
The conference sets out to close the gap between emerging scientific evidence and everyday clinical practice, and to meet the education and training needs of mental health practitioners in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province. According to SPA President Dr. Feras Al-Awad, the programme brings together around 19 national speakers and four session chairs across four specialised scientific tracks, and the organisers expect around 300 attendees.
Scientific programme
The day opens with a welcome from the SPA President and a plenary panel discussion: "Advancing Mental Health Care in Saudi Arabia: Addressing Gaps, Integrating Services, and Empowering Practitioners", with Dr. Abdulhameed Alhabib, Dr. Feras Al-Awad and Dr. Yasser Ad-Dab'bagh.
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry track: updates in psychopharmacology for autism and ADHD (Dr. Sami Alharthi); sleep disorders among university students and adverse childhood experiences (Prof. Sulhi Alfakeh); autism spectrum disorder treatments in the pipeline (Dr. Ahmad Al-Almai); and depressive disorders in adolescents (Dr. Ali AlSaad).
Psychotic Disorders track: "Schizophrenia in 2026: what and where is the lesion?" (Prof. Yasser Abdulrazek); new frontiers in treating negative and cognitive symptoms (Dr. Sherif Saad); and twice-yearly dosing in schizophrenia management (Dr. Majed Alharbi).
Mood Disorders track: impulsivity, reward and risk across bipolar disorder, ADHD and substance use (Dr. Rafat Alowesie); the bipolar spectrum (Dr. Nasser Alzain); evidence-based pharmacological management of bipolar disorder (Dr. Ali Garatli); and pharmacotherapy for comorbid bipolar and borderline personality disorder (Dr. Ahmad Abdelkarim).
Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy track: the emotional schema model (Dr. Osama Aljama); dissociative symptoms vs ADHD (Dr. Norah Aldawsari); and diagnostic dilemmas in classifying personality disorders (Dr. Mahmood Rashad).
Workshops
Four practical workshops run on the same day, in two parts:
- Executive functions and emotion regulation: turning cognitive skills into clinical interventions (Dr. Norah Aldawsari)
- Stress and adjustment disorder: assessment and diagnosis (Dr. Saeed Alzahrani)
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) skills training: handouts and worksheets (Dr. Sami Al-Arjan)
- CBT for social anxiety disorder (Dr. Mishaal Alaqeel and Prof. Ahmed Alhadi)
CME & attendance
The organiser lists 8 CME hours for the scientific conference, 3 CME hours for Workshops Part One and 8 CME hours for Workshops Part Two. These are separate totals, and the accrediting body is not named on the official page. You can attend the scientific conference in person or online.
Who should attend
Psychiatrists, psychiatry fellows and residents, clinical psychologists and therapists, primary care physicians, neurologists, and nursing and allied members of multidisciplinary mental health teams.
Registration
Tickets start from SAR 155. SPA members get at least 20% off by choosing the "SPA Member" ticket. You register on the official SPA events page.
