A regional organisation with 40 members.
Membership: anyone involved with mental health services and issues (survivor, relative, professional) who shares the philosophy of the organisation.
Purpose: we focus on rights and alternative treatments with an emphasis on informing the public and changing attitudes.
Main activities: individual support and complaints about rights issues; Public Information Office in the Psychiatric Hospital of Thessaloniki; promoting the psychiatric will; support network for persons wishing to stop psychotropic medication; Hellenic Hearing Voices Network; providing support for setting up and running self help groups; promoting alternative ways of managing mental distress.
In 2015 the Observatory has developed the following initiatives:
- It provided a cycle of training to mental health professionals in working through paranoia and making sense of unusual beliefs with Peter Bullimore and his colleagues from the UK Paranoia Network.
- Emphasis was placed on building a strong support network for assisting people in reducing medication, due to many demands received over the past years. Members of the network have completed training in supporting people to reduce and come off psychiatric drugs and they have formed a cohesive model through networking people with alternatives (nutrition, relaxation, bodily techniques, alternative therapies etc.). A specialized self-help group for people attempting to reduce medication has just started.
- Emphasis was also placed on legal issues through: a) taking action regarding the implementation of the UN Convention for people with disabilities in Greece, b) assembling resources for the creation of a solidarity fund for legal support of people with psychiatric experience, so that they can defend their rights, c) reopening of the issue of the psychiatric will.
- The Observatory has started the process of reopening an office in the grounds of the Psychiatric Hospital of Thessaloniki, aiming to facilitate preparation and social networking of people during their hospitalization in view of their return to the community, with particular emphasis on establishing links with self-help groups and initiatives, for them to use upon their release.
At the same time, initiatives continuing for the last few years include:
- two self-help groups, one for people who hear voices and one for people who experience extreme sadness
- a seminar on psychosis
- groups of theoretical self-education of members and friends
- telephone support and counselling on relevant demands and concerns
- writing, translating and publicizing on critical and radical mental health topics
Address: Andrea Papandreou 74, 55132 Thessaloniki
Phone: +30 6949500133
E-mail: paratiritiriopsy@yahoo.com
Website: https://mentalhealthhellenicobservatory.wordpress.com/