Γιατροί του Κόσμου Ελλάδας-Open Minds | Mental Health Services
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Open Minds | Mental Health Services

PROMOTING MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN THE COMMUNITY

With the Open Minds project, Médecins du Monde seeks to ensure continuity of care and access to comprehensive mental health and psychosocial support services for vulnerable groups.

Greece has suffered a severe economic recession since the end of 2009 which led to a crisis in the health and insurance system. Extreme austerity measures and cuts in public spending on mental health systems were implemented, while at the same time the demand for mental health services increased tremendously. In addition, the refugee reception crisis together with the Covid-19 pandemic and the restriction of free movement for the population created a heavy burden on a very limited welfare system for vulnerable groups of the population. The proximity and accessibility of mental health and welfare services is very difficult or even impossible for homeless people, poor households, refugees and asylum seekers.

AIMS OF OPEN MINDS

The Open Minds project aims to promote the mental health and well-being of our fellow people who face multiple vulnerabilities in terms of health and social living (migrants, refugees, uninsured nationals living in poverty, Roma) by providing them with access to mental and social support and ensuring that they can access their basic human rights.

Through the Open Minds project, MdM-Greece sets and aims to achieve the following objectives:

  1. Ensuring access to free and quality mental health care and psychosocial support
  2. Provide the necessary technical information and training for frontline staff (mediators, carers, nurses, administrative staff) and structures related to mental health in vulnerable populations and operational challenges
  3. Ensuring continuity of support and treatment, including integration of referrals to secondary and tertiary health and social care facilities when necessary, and appropriate case monitoring
  4. Raising awareness in order to eliminate the stigma of mental health issues and improve well-being in the community

THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF OPEN MINDS IS FOR THE PROJECT TO CONTRIBUTE TO GREECE TAKING ON SPECIFIC ACTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES AS A MEMBER STATE OF THE EU IN RELATION TO THE WIDER EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK ACTION ON MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

Guiding Principles

Mental health is not only about the absence of a mental disorder but also describes a state of emotional well-being, where each person can successfully cope with life’s problems, work productively and participate actively in their social environment. Through the use of the term ‘well-being’, MdM-Greece wishes to emphasise the holistic dimension of health and the process of achieving it. Well-being has physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual dimensions.

The concept of ‘wellbeing’ includes all that is good for a person, such as participating in important social roles, being happy and optimistic, living according to good moral values, having positive social relationships and a supportive environment, coping with challenges through the use of appropriate coping mechanisms, being safe and having access to appropriate services and work. The term ‘psychosocial’ suggests the interconnection between psychological and social processes and the fact that each is constantly interacting and influencing the other. The complex concept of Mental and Psychosocial Support is used to describe any form of support, internal and/or external, that aims to protect or promote psychosocial well-being and/or prevent or treat mental disorders.