_{(Photocredit: Hoda El Mahgoub)}
On the occasion of the 4th German-Egyptian Medical Symposium, that took place on 12^th December 2018 in Cairo, the DAAD invited Prof. Dr. Michael Niedeggen, from the Department of Educational Science and Psychology and Head of the Research Unit: Experimental Psychology and Neuropsychology at Freie Universität Berlin to participate in the symposium.

After short welcome addresses from the DAAD and the German Embassy, Prof. Dr. Tarek Okasha, who is a renowned professor of psychiatry at the Ain Shams University and the Director of the World Psychiatric Association, gave a remarkable key-note on the mental Health Situation in Egypt. His speech was followed by a thorough presentation of Prof. Niedeggen who informed the audience about how research and practice is being integrated in teaching clinical neuropsychology in Germany. A further insight on Egypt’s situation was given during the symposium by Dr. Michael Elnemais Fawzy who shed the light on mental health policies in Egypt and specifically in regards to the status of psychiatric care and basic mental health services for people with mental disorders in Egypt. The Sudan Mental Health services were also covered through Dr. Abdullah Abdelrahman, from the Khartoum Teaching Hospital. All in all, the 3 presentations offered a valuable and interesting insight into the neuropsychological research in Egypt, Germany and Sudan.

An important development towards integrative treatment is a social de-stigmatization of mental health conditions. Enabling this process in a cooperative setting between mental health professionals of psychiatric and psychological backgrounds was the purpose of the second half of the symposium. The Experts Panel discussion regarding the creation of awareness, which included - among other experts from Egypt and Sudan - Prof. Niedeggen to represent the German experience, offered a dialogue platform about the stigmatization of mental health concerns and how science can contribute to overcome them. The topics that were discussed among the panel were the innovative diagnostic measures towards societal acceptance, the compatibility of social and science aspects, the psychological and psychiatric approaches as well as the best practices for the de-stigmatization processes.