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European Network of (ex-)Users and
Survivors of Psychiatry
ENUSP is an initiative to give (ex-)users and
survivors of psychiatric services a means to
communicate, to exchange opinions, views and
experiences in order to support each other in
the personal, political and social struggle
against expulsion, injustice and stigma in our
respective countries.
ENUSP is the only grassroots umbrella organisation
on a European level that unifies (among others)
national organisations of (ex-)users and survivors
of psychiatry across the continent to provide
a direct representation of people who are or
have been on the receiving end of psychiatric
services. Involvement of both user and survivor
organisations from all over Europe is a unique
added value of the Network.
History
The history of the Network goes back to 1990
when the initiative was taken in the Netherlands
to form a network of associations of (former)
psychiatric patients from various European countries.
Since then the Network has organised European
conferences (Zandvoort / Netherlands 1991; Elsinore
/ Denmark 1994; Reading / England 1997; Luxembourg
1999; Vejle / Denmark 2004). In Luxembourg more
than 90 delegates, all of them (ex-)users/survivors
of psychiatry from 26 European countries, representing
national and local associations, met and created
an action plan for the coming years.
In 1998 the Network received legal
recognition and since then it has been a
federation of European associations of (ex-)users
and survivors of psychiatry.
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| Members of ENUSP at
a demonstration in the city of Oslo,
August 1999. From left: Tormod Bakke
(Oslo), Arnet Johansen (Lillehammer
/ Norway), Virpi Vesterinen (Turku
/ Finland), Paul Fijn (Deventer
/ Netherlands) and Maths Jesperson
(Lund / Sweden). Photo by Kerstin
Kempker (Berlin). The text on the
poster by Tormod Bakke and Arnet
Johansen is: "It is allowed
to be different." |
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Aims and objectives
The European Network aims to promote and improve
the human rights of (ex-)users and survivors of psychiatry;
to fight for (ex-)user/survivor controlled alternatives
to psychiatry and against abuse and coercion. On the
very first European Conference the following guiding
principle has been adopted:
The European Network is against any unilateral
approach to, and stigmatisation of mental and emotional
distress, madness, human suffering and unconventional
behaviour.
The European Network should support (ex-)users'/survivors'
autonomy and responsibility in making their own
decisions (self-determination).
In order to implement this principle, priority has
been given to the following areas:
- Act against any kind of discrimination in society
(both inside and outside the mental health care
system) of people who have been subject to the psychiatric
system;
- Support development of (ex-)user/survivor groups
throughout Europe (with a particular emphasis on
those countries where there are no existing organisations);
- Create and support new alternatives to the psychiatric
system and collect and share information on the
existing ones;
- Influence and try to change present treatment
in psychiatry.
The European Network attempts to influence policy
at a European level and maintains contacts with other
international organisations active in the mental health
field. Contacts and collaboration have been set up
with the World Health Organisation (WHO), the European
Union, the European Disability Forum, the International
Labour Organisation (ILO), Mental Health Europe/Santé
Mental Europe (the former European Regional Council
of the World Federation for Mental Health) etc.
Structure
The European Network is a federation of national
and local associations of (ex-)users and survivors
and of mixed organisations with a significant (ex-)user/survivor
membership. From those countries where there are no
such associations, exceptionally individual (ex-)user/survivor
members are also accepted. The main decision making
body of the Network is the General Meeting consisting
of (at the most three) delegates, only (ex-)users/survivors,
of each participating country.
General Meetings take place as a part of the European
conferences organised by the Network every second
year. Between two subsequent Meetings an elected board
runs the Network. The board
consists of a Chair (elected by the General Meeting)
and of five regional board members, each representing
one of the five regions in Europe (elected by the
delegates of the respective region).
This (rather complicated) structure (see the organigramme)
intends to make the Network a grassroots, democratic
and fully (ex-)user/survivor controlled organisation.
The members of the Network are listet on the membership-list.
There are national, regional and local organisations
in many European countries. Through the membership
of the member organisations the Network represents
several ten thousands of (ex-) users/survivors from
all over Europe.
Secretary and the European Desk
The secretary of the European Network is elected
by the board. Since 1991 a Dutch initiative, the European
Desk assists the Network as a centre of communication
and information, also playing an important role in
organising the board meetings, seminars and the European
conferences. In the beginning of 2001 the European
Secretariat moved to Berlin.
Memberships
European
Disability Forum (EDF),
European
Patient Forum (EPF),
World
Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry (WNUSP),
International Disability Caucus (IDC)
Back to the homepage:
www.enusp.org
Address: European Network of (ex-)Users and
Survivors of Psychiatry, Zabel-Krüger-Damm 183,
D-13469 Berlin, Phone +49 30 8596 3706, eMail
desk@enusp.org
ENUSP bank-connection (for membership-fees, donations
etc.): ABN AMRO in Utrecht, Netherlands, Account.
53.45.57.082, SWIFT: ABN-NL 2A. For transnational
payments: International Bank Account Number (IBAN):
NL54 ABNA 0534 5570 82, Bank Identifier Code (BIC):
ABNANL2A