With its 70 Scientific Sections, it promotes collaborative work in specialist areas of psychiatry. It has developed ethical guidelines for psychiatric practice, including the Madrid Declaration, and position statements on topics relevant to psychiatric practice and the role of psychiatrists. The WPA partners with its members to host the annual WPA World Congress of Psychiatry as well as regional and thematic congresses, attracting global leaders in mental health and providing forums for shared learning and collaboration.

This focus on education and learning has also seen the WPA develop various educational programs – such as its long-distance e-Learning program – together with a series of books and a regular member newsletter, WPA News. The WPA’s official journal, World Psychiatry, was recently named the Number 1 ranked journal in Psychiatry and Number 1 ranked journal in the Social Science Citation Index.