Society of Social Psychiatry and Mental Health (S.S.P & M.H.)

The project addressed the problem of fragmentation in mental health services, lack of coordination with institutional bodies, legal gaps and societal barriers which result in rights violation. It was innovative as it combined clinical, institutional/legal and community approach with active participation of users.

The idea was to confront the problem of mental health rights’ violation more systematically and coordinated aiming to open a dialogue and take some first key-steps to face rights violation in mental health in a more holistic and effective way.

Prior efforts were either fragmented or weak enough. The project was, therefore, aiming to cover such gaps by uniting and enforcing individual voices and efforts so as to lead to systemic and long-term changes for the sake of populations in need.

Direct target group: people with mental health problem, their families and carers.

Th IIndirect target groups: professionals

 1/5/2015 - 30/4/2016

The main pillar of the project was the first Advocacy Office for people with mental health problems in Greece.

The services included individualized support, information, consultation, guidance, referral to other services and institutional bodies, networking and lobbying in order to mainstream human rights in mental health. (319 beneficiaries).

The pilot implementation of the "reporting methodology for mental health rights violations" encouraged 122 people to overcome their fear and ignorance and make their voice heard.

Another aspect of the project was the training of professionals with a view to make them approach the therapeutic and social rehabilitation process through the human rights perspective.

6 training seminars took place for 394 professionals (policy officers, judges, prosecutors, clinicians).

After the end of the project we continue to offer periodically training to many of these target groups (sustainability).

The website (www.psy-dikaiomata.gr/en/) included the training material, a digital legal library and a mental health rights guide. The approximately 20.000 visitors has rendered it as a reliable source of information about mental health rights both for services' users and professionals.

Another key activity was the Pan-Hellenic Network Meeting, with the participation of 150 representatives from stakeholders, including services' users and families, clinicians and advocates, NGOs and mental health services, policy makers and authorities. The meeting’s interactive character led to substantial conclusions and recommendations, which have been already submitted to the Ministries of Justice and Health. Proposals encourage legal and institutional amendments that will potentially improve the quality of life of people with mental health problems.  

Lobbying, along with promotion activities have contributed tremendously in raising awareness about mental health rights, while have also supported the sustainability of the project.

The project was a collaboration between the Mental Health  (Society of Social Psychiatry and Mental Health and Institute of Mental Health for Children and Adults) and Human Rights sector (Hellenic League for Human Rights), with the support of the National Confederation of Disabled People. EEA Grants Greek NGO Program “We are all Citizens”. The Bodossaki Foundation was the Fund Operator of this Program.

The project employed 17 people (project leader +partners) out of whom 10 staff members of the Society of Social Psychiatry and Mental Health (project leader). Also, staff members and volunteers of SSP&MH supported specific project activities leading to an important “paradigm shift”. 

Basically Athens but we equally provided services via telephone and internet for the whole Greece.

Outputs: to address  the barriers through improved referral and networking, the provision of information and legal support, the provision of targeted capacity building,  community awareness and information.

Outcomes: better mental health promotion, prevention and treatment through most effective use of existing community resources, more reasonable use and decongestion of existing services, most effective collaboration of social solidarity initiatives and mainstream services (public sector and NGOs) and an active  engagement and motivation of civil society in these efforts. Indicatively of the project’s  wider social impact is the fact that in October of 2017, it was selected for and presented in the booklet “Good Practices in Mental Health and Well-being in Europe, which is part of the EU Compass for Action on Mental Health and Well-being   project,  funded by the European Union.

The impact of the project can be seen as follows: eliminating barriers and facilitating equal access to services set the foundation for meaningful participation and social re-engagement of people with mental health problems. In addition, proposal of best practices in mental health rights promotion.

The program in figures
319 cases received support and guidance
6 seminars-394  trainees

20.000  visits on the project website
1.300+ like on fb page

1 guide on the rights in mental health
tens of media reports and mentions 

The abovementioned synergies and collaborations developed throughout the project generated a number of benefits for the organization, such as: keeping rights in mental health high on our agenda, building extensively our staff’s capacity on the topic, enhancing our training expertise on mental health rights and acting as key-trainer for third parties (i.e. mental health professionals, police officers etc), building a comprehensive network with other CSOs and key institutional bodies (ministries) that allowed us to push for long-awaited vital changes. Also the project helped us boost our long-term, individual efforts to promote mental health rights through strategic collaborations, and amplifying our patients’ as well as other organizations beneficiaries’ voice by shedding the spotlight on their rights.