MHE Members are invited to get involved in the 2023 European Mental Health Week!
We are delighted to announce this year's theme: Mentally healthy communities! MHE's members and partners are invited to start thinking of their role in the upcoming European Mental Health Week. Are you planning to host an event during the week? Whether you are a person with lived experience, a supporter, a service provider or an advocate, you may organise your own event(s). Please let us know and we will be happy to feature your event(s) on the campaign website. If you are planning to organise an event at national level, please highlight this in your message. We are currently discussing with the European Commission the possibility to further support such actions. You can also help us spread the word by getting engaged on social media. We are looking forward to your support. Together, let's make this year’s Awareness Week the largest and most inclusive!
If you are planning to host an event, please get in touch by e-mail: info@mhe-sme.org
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MHE welcomes Emanuela as Project Officer and thanks Vivian
We welcome a new colleague, Emanuela, who joined our team in January as Project Officer. Having studied European Integration Affairs, her background is in Diversity and Human Rights. At MHE, Emanuela will be working on EU-funded projects such as MENTALITY, LET’S TALK and others. We also say goodbye to our colleague Vivian who left MHE in December to continue working with the Dutch International Mental Health Hub (part of the Nederlandse ggz and an MHE member).
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MHE members are invited to join us for the Brussels 20k Run!
The Brussels 20k Run falls on the last day of the European Mental Health Week on Sunday 28th of May. MHE will participate as a Charity Team in this race. In order to allow a wider participation, MHE is offering reduced registration fees to participants interested to join our team and support the cause. If you would like to run with MHE, please send your name, surname and contact details to: margi.marchetti@mhe-sme.org
Places available on a first come, first served basis.
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PERISCOPE MOOC ‘Strengthening territorial response for better health’ developed by MHE, EUREGHA and AQuAS launched on Coursera
This MOOC was developed by MHE, the European Regional and Local Health Authorities (EUREGHA) and AQuAS, as part of the research project 'Pan-European Response to the Impacts of the COVID-19 and future Pandemics and Epidemics’. The project looks at the wide socio-economic and behavioural effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and aims to make Europe more resilient and prepared for future large-scale risks. This Coursera MOOC is free of charge, consists of 12 online recorded lectures and is structured in a self-paced learning modality that is easily adaptable to own schedules. MHE members are encouraged to share this information widely with their networks.
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Leading mental health charities in the UK say the government must deliver a comprehensive mental health plan
Mind, Rethink Mental Illness, Samaritans, and Mental Health Foundation are among the charities who are concerned that grouping mental ill-health with chronic health conditions (such as cancer and respiratory diseases) will fail to bring about the long-term government thinking needed to tackle the root causes of mental health problems or provide people with the care they need. The charities acknowledge the important connection between mental health and physical conditions but emphasise that this should not mean scrapping a standalone mental health plan.
Read more
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CRPD debates highlight historical tensions between human rights and psychiatry
A new article titled 'Human rights and psychiatric power in dispute: Towards a radicalization of democracy' provides the history of the evolving debates over the human rights of people with psychosocial disabilities. The writers highlight the paradoxes of modern conceptions of mental illness and disability and trace them back through time. In doing so, they highlight the medicalization and creation of mental illness categories, critique past attempts to deliver rights to neuro-divergent people, and explore the recent development of the Convention on the Rights for Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
Read the article
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Priorities for Future Research on Reducing and Stopping Psychiatric Medicines (PROTECT) study
This Study seeks to identify priorities for future research on reducing and stopping psychiatric medications. The study has developed a list of the Top 10 unanswered questions and uncertainties relating to reducing and stopping psychiatric medicines (commonly referred to as 'tapering'). The researchers of the study think that it is important that future research focuses on the questions that are important to people with lived experience of taking and/or stopping any of these medicines, family members, carers/supporters and healthcare professionals.
Find information on the survey |
Royal College of Psychiatrists comments on new NICE guidance on antidepressants withdrawal
The new draft quality standard from NICE recommends that adults who want to stop taking antidepressants should have the dose of their medication reduced in stages (known as ‘tapering’) to help reduce the severity of withdrawal symptoms. People coming off antidepressants may experience both physical and mental withdrawal symptoms. In order to avoid people from stopping to take antidepressants suddenly, the College has produced a resource on stopping antidepressants, which offers information on how someone can taper their medication at a pace that suits them and their individual needs.
Read the Guidelines
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 British Psychological Society (BPS)
The BPS welcomes the news that the new law to ban all forms of conversion therapy in the UK will include practices aimed at transgender people. The Bill aims to protect everyone including those targeted on the basis of their sexuality, or being transgender. The BPS said they will continue to work with the government and partners to make sure the Bill is fit for purpose. Read more.
British Psychological Society (BPS)
The BPS welcomes an invitation from the National Audit Office to contribute to the ‘ Progress in improving mental health services in England’ report and pleased to see this report reflect the input of their members. The report shows failure to meet the needs of the increasing number of people needing mental health support, particularly those with complex mental health needs. Read more
 Mental Health Ireland
The ‘ HELLO, How R U?’ campaign will start on 30 March. This national campaign aims to encourage people to not just ask the question but to support people in knowing what to do next. The campaign tackles the lack of connection or belonging that people experience by inspiring individuals to ask how others are feeling. The aim is to open up a conversation to allow people to listen and encourage action by signposting to local supports and services. Learn more.
Mental Health Reform
Mental Health Reform - Ireland’s leading national coalition on mental health - provides a unified voice to the Irish government, its agencies, and the general public on mental health issues. Recently, they developed a guide regarding mental health recovery: their 'Let's Talk About Recovery' highlights useful recourses as well as the Chime framework. Learn more about 'Let's Talk About Recovery'.
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Periscope Project Newsletter #4 went out on 1 February and you may subscribe to the newsletter here.
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World Health Day is on 7 April and the World Health Organization will observe its 75th anniversary. This video trailer highlights how the WHO aims to help people be "healthy and happy in the future". Read more and watch the video here.
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This podcast is an interview with Stefanie Lyn Kaufman-Mthimkhulu, the Founder and Director of the non-profit Project LETS (Let’s Erase the Stigma). Project LETS is a national grassroots organization and movement focused on creating innovative, peer-led alternatives to our current mental health system. Their work includes peer support and communicative care, political advocacy, organizing, and mutual aid.
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As the numbers of people seeking treatment for mental health rises globally, what do we know about the treatments on offer? Where did they come from, how strong is the evidence that they work and what will the future of mental health care look like? Listen to this podcast for a discussion on these questions.
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This podcast explains the differences between mental health challenges and mental illness. It also tries to examine the difference between the medical approach and the bio-psychosocial models to ‘recovery’ as well as alternative approaches through social recovery.
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World Economic Forum (Davos, Jan 2023): Here are the 3 Ways to Improve Mental Health at Work in 2023
Released during Davos 2023, this video explains that the right working environment can benefit our mental health and that the reverse is also true. Facts show that 12 billion working days are lost each year to depression and anxiety. This video shows 3 ways of boosting employees’ mental health at the workplace while improving their productivity.
Watch the video
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'Stutz': A Film by Jonah Hill
In this documentary, Jonah Hill has a candid conversation with his psychotherapist Dr Phil Stutz. The film aims to give viewers an inside look into therapy and the doctor's unique visual mode of therapy called "The Tools". The film presents a radical shift from traditional psychiatric care to include reciprocal healing for both doctor and patient. The film is available on Netflix.
Watch the trailer
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