World Mental Health Day 2014

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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