Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden attended a conference about neuropsychiatric disabilities.
On 25 April, Their Royal Highnesses arrived at the Karolinska Institute and were welcomed by the Principal, Annika Östman Wernerson, and Professor Sven Bölte.
Once the Prince and Princess took their seats in the Aula Medica (Latin for Medical Classroom), they listened to lectures on neuropsychiatric impairments, as well as research on the issue and potential treatments being developed.
The conference was titled “Towards a more inclusive society” and was organised by KIND, Karolinska Institute’s Centre of Neurodevelopmental Disorders.
The inclusion of people with disabilities in society has recently been the focus of many royal engagements in Sweden and abroad.
“Neuropsychiatric disorder” is a term that covers a broad spectrum of issues, ranging from bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, OCD and unipolar depressive disorders all the way to ALS, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s.
Because of this broad spectrum, research on the issues has been broad and often general. In recent years, thanks to a more focused approach to individual disorders rather than the whole category, medicine has made tremendous progress, although many elements remain unexplored.
In particular, research has been focussing on management and potential treatment options, as well as studying the reasons that lead certain individuals to develop those conditions – genetics, environmental factors, etc.
Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia have long been working in the field of dyslexia, a cause particularly close to their heart since the Prince himself was diagnosed with the issue, alongside his father, King Carl XVI Gustaf and sisters, Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Madeleine.
Recently, they have branched out to include working in the push for a society more inclusive of people with disabilities – and they have not been alone: the focus on inclusivity has been making its way throughout all medicine and research institutions, some of the most important of which have royal patrons.
