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Updated: Nov 23, 2018
23.10.2014📷
Celebration in 2014
GIP celebrates the World Mental Health Day - 2014
Though lately the attitudes towards mental illness are slightly shifted to the right direction in Georgia, there is still a serious stigma attached to the mental health disorders and, specifically to schizophrenia.
Thus, this year we tried to reach out to young generation, but also to service users and their carers for raising awareness on self-stigma, among others.
The 10 October event “Life with Schizophrenia” organized by Foundation Global Initiative on Psychiatry (GIP) at National Library of Georgia intended to help the audience to realize that being diagnosed with schizophrenia can still mean that many can go on and have full and productive lives.
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Dr. Eka Chkonia, the chairperson of the Society of the Psychiatrists of Georgia, gave the public lecture “From Inquisition to Endophenotypes”.
FGIP chief executive Dr. Robert van Voren spoke about stigma on mental disorders, silence surrounded the experiences and called to speak out and be open about schizophrenia, depression, etc.
Among the attendees were many young people asking stimulating questions, service users and their family members, MH professionals. The Q&A session was moderated by Dr. Nino Makhashvili, GIP-T director.
The paintings of Gela Jincharadze and Gio Kiladze - beneficiaries of art therapy workshop at Tbilisi Mental Health Center were displayed at the conference area for several days.
News & photos shared by Nino Agdgomelashvili
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21.10.2014📷
Out of Institutions, Into the World
More than 8,200 people with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities in Croatia remain in segregated institutions and psychiatric hospitals with little control over decisions that affect their lives, Human Rights Watch said. While the Croatian government has made some progress in protecting the rights of people with disabilities, the process of moving people out of institutions and into community-based living arrangements has been limited and slow. In a video released by Human Rights Watch, people with psychosocial disabilities talked about the benefits of moving into the community after living in segregated institutions, some of them all their lives.
DI in Croatia, Human Rights Watch was in Croatia this summer to do the follow up research of 2010. The published report on the situation in institutions in Croatian for people with intellectual and mental disability
This is a short movie filmed this summer in social care home Osijek.
Shared by Radmila Stojanovic Babic (Ada from Susret NGO)
CARe Europe Country Representative Croatia
17.10.2014📷
Paata Skhirtladze, Tbilisi
In Georgia, there is a TV project "1 minute on Maestro-TV" where people have a chance to speak about themselves or problems and achievements in the field they act/work or just live. A week ago, an ex-user of mental health service gave an interview about his mental health difficulty. It was kind of coming-out and a good example for combating stigma. He mentioned that he had a diagnosis of schizophrenia, but as he takes medications regularly and has possibility to work, he feels good. It is not "new" for European countries, but in Georgian society you rarely find users who speaks publicly about his/her mental health difficulties. This is what Paata's said on TV:"When people named someone 'crazy' and say “he is not able to do anything”, it sends that person to isolation and exclusion. But a person with mental health difficulties can overcome the condition and recover. Few years ago I was diagnosed with schizophrenia, but through learning, art, sports and therapies, I overcome the condition and now I have a job. Dosage of medication became lesser and lesser. In other words, I feel good. I'd like to call on the others [with mental health difficulties]: do not stop action, fight to combat the difficulties and you will win!" Good luck!
