Meeting WP5 Joint Action on Mental Health and Well-beign. Madrid, 26-27 February 2015

http://www.mentalhealthandwellbeing.eu/

Work Package 5 Community-based Approaches in Mental Health Care

Ministry of Health, Social Affairs and Equality

During two days the participants discussed the final report. It was a very interesting

meeting, we studied one by one the data and made suggestions. Mine were: Users as

the centre of all the process. Also there´s a need to reinforce users participation in all

processes in the UE. This include access to EU Funding. There´s a need to find bindings

of UN Convention Rights of Persons with Disabilities related to desisinstitualization,

discrimination, lost of opportunities, etc. This workshops could be the first step for a

peers to peers training for trainers.

A bigger dimension should be given to the media role in mental health. Guadalupe Morales

could further develop this idea for the Joint Action. I offered myself as an expert on Media and

Estigma and Discrimination, to develop a review of positive projects, actions and campaigns in

the Media against stigma and discrimination and to make suggestions for the next future. The

atmosphere of the meeting was very good. The first day we had dinner altogether in a typical

and very old restaurant in the center of Madrid.

Welcome by High Officer from the Spanish Ministry, Paloma Casado, who said that Spain has a

National Strategy on Mental Health System. Composed by a Cientyfic Committee and an

Institutional Committee. All collectives are involved, including users representative (Guadalupe

Morales). There´re 14 especialized groups. One very important is fight against discrimination,

and community-based care. Spanish Government is the only government involved in this Joint

Action.

WP5 has been very keen in having involved the Spanish model of desintitutialization. That

involved three aspects: Health, Social Aspects and Employment.

Fifteen participants at this meeting in Madrid. José Caldas de Almeida, Coordinator (Portugal),

Pedro Mateus, member of the team of coordination

José Rodríguez and Isabel Saiz, Officers of Ministry of Health, Social Affairs and Equality

(Portugal), Pedro Montellano, (Portugal) President of Gamian Europe

Angelo Fioris, (Italy), Heinz Katschnig (Austria), Lajos Simon (Hungary), Vladimir Nakov, (Bulgaria)

Terry Madden (Ireland), Indrek Sooniste (Estonia), John Saunders (EUFAMI), Kim Japing (ESN.

University), Pedro Montellano (GAMIAN-Europe), Josée Van Remoortel (Mental Health Europe) Guadalupe Morales (ENUSP.European Network of (-Ex) Users and Survivors of Psychiatry

Summary

The process of Joint Action WP4 started in March 2014 in Bolonia. The objectives are that the outcome are recommendations for action for all the EU memberstates. The Joint Action in a Nutshell: Number of countries: 28. Number of partners: 51 (30 associated and 21 collaborating). Funding: Consumers, Health and Food Executive Agency (CHAFEA) / DG Sanco Coordination: NOVA Medical School /Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal. Start date: February 1, 2013 End Date: January 31, 2016

Objectives

First to give an overview of what is mental health and wellbeign

Second establish a collaborative work

Third Action to contribute to generate political commitment.

Where we come from: Evolution from the past (Green Paper; that never became a White

Paper, EU Mental Health Pact, Thematic Conferences: 2009-11) And finally a Call of the Council

to develop Joint Action in order to put mental health in the agenda of member states.

Different stakeholders are involved. There has been also a new Joint Action Plan in Alcohol or

Chronic Deceases. There were synergies with WHO Action Plan of 2013

Community-based approaches to Mental Health (WP5)

Leader: JM Caldas de Almeida, Nova Medical School/Faculdade Ciências Médicas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (FCM/UNL), Portugal Number of countries: 9 (plus 6 international organizations) Number of partners: 16. Countries - institutions: Portugal – FCM/UNL, MS-DGS, Spain – Minsitry of Health Social Affairs and Italy – AUSL-BO, Bulgaria – NCPHA, Hungary – SUB, Austria, Luxembourg - MHL, Cyprus- MHC, Greece, MHE, ENUSP, EUFAMI,ESN, Gamian, EUREGHA.

Specific topics:

1. Depression, suicide and e-Health WP4

http://www.mentalhealthandwellbeing.eu/depression-suicide-and-e-health

2. Community Approach, based in social inclusive perspective WP5-

http://www.mentalhealthandwellbeing.eu/community-based-approaches (Enusp

participates, but not done anything till January 2015)

3. Promoting mental health at schools WP6-

http://www.mentalhealthandwellbeing.eu/mental-health-and-schools

4. Mental Health at the workplace WP7-

http://www.mentalhealthandwellbeing.eu/community-based-approaches

5. Including mental health in all policies WP8-

http://www.mentalhealthandwellbeing.eu/mental-health-in-all-policies

First Meeting was in Bolonia. Aims:

1. Situation: 27 countries. review of literature, good practices, inventory

2. Establishing and strengthening National and EU Networks

3. Framework for Action

Results: Much more collaboration and partnership, Recommendations for each WP

Creation of a framework for action by: generate political commitment, promote

development of policies and programs, implementation of those.

Each Work Package agreed: in the template, Policy Briefs and in hold workshops and capacity

buildings for dissemination.

Schedule: Beginning of 2016: Final Conference in Lisbon

Lasts months Dissemination

December 2014 (beginning)- Luxembourg. Government experts of 27 member states

in mental health, stakeholders and WHO. Discussion on what had been done. Informed

governments and invite them to discuss first results.

Two meetings: of Responsibles of EU Agencies. Human Rights. Possibility to get

funding from Structural Funds, and other EU funding. Settling kind of collaboration.

January 2015: Interest in Human Rights. Desisinstitutialization. Publications of Living

Independently. CRPD, e-Health. Funding: Structural Funds and National Goverments

Three Parliament Meetings on WP5 with participation of users and families

February 25. Brussels: Key moment. Invitation to all actors to collaborate in mental

health and well beign policy. 45 participants. Missing points. Stressed on Community

Mental Health Care. Defining messages. (Gabriela´s report).

Commission: must contribute to create something permanent, a structure to fight for

mental health, facilitating the discussion and incorporating mental health in Health

management.

Call of creation of iniciatives.

After 2016: Green Papers on Fundamental Barriers to health. Link to CRPD, and

binding rights: barriers in the daily life, also economic problems of users. Reinforce

users capacity building. EU shouldn´t contemplate any kind of iniciative without taking

first in account Human Rights and in this case: CRPD

Next steps

2015 Capacity Building Workshops

Consider training for users in the capacity building proposals.

Users as the centre of all the process. Also there´s a need to reinforce users

participation in all processes in the UE. This include access to EU Funding. There´s a

need to find bindings of UN Convention Rights of Persons with Disabilities related to

desisinstitualization, discrimination, lost of opportunities, etc. This workshops could

be the first step for a peers to peers training for trainers.

Hungary will celebrate a workshop in the second semester of this year. Other Eastern

countries are invited to do so; there´s funding for it.