Greece has been in the throes of a severe economic crisis since late 2009, due to chronic financial overruns and structural bottlenecks. As a result of the current financial crisis, Greece has taken extreme austerity measures and cuts in public spending, including those for the national mental health system, at the same time as the demand for health services has skyrocketed. This, combined with the massive influx of refugees and migrants in Greece in recent years, has contributed to the further marginalisation of the most vulnerable social groups, such as destitute Greeks, migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, Roma and LGBTI communities.
MENTAL HEALTH
Until recently, the issue of mental health was not treated as a distinct area of intervention in the overall management of emergency crises. Mental health services and issues were covered under the broader umbrella of the ‘Health’ sector. Mental health was not seen as an issue that crossed all levels of care. Only some health projects included mental health related actions when they were related to the broader context, i.e. in line with needs, gaps and demand analysis.
For the past few years, however, mental health issues have attracted attention and become a priority in the context of a wide range of different environments and crises: from the refugee and migration crisis and the international community’s response in the Mediterranean and Europe to South Sudan’s border with DRC and Uganda, where people are trying to flee imminent violence and life-threatening conditions, and the post-emergency phase in Bangladesh, where the Rohingya minority has found refuge after the organised pogrom launched against them by the Myanmar government.
Because of their characteristic of being inherent in and having a decisive impact on people’s lives and well-being in both emergency and ‘normal’ phases, mental health issues are increasingly emerging as a central issue and are inevitably placed at the centre of attention in Western European countries. Mental health problems are a major burden on societies all over the world. Depression alone affects 350 million people worldwide and remains the number one cause of disability in the world. Despite their huge societal impact, mental illnesses are still pushed into the shadows due to stigma, prejudice and fear.
OPEN MINDS
Open Minds aims to address the mental health problems of vulnerable populations, both migrants and refugees and nationals living in poverty, by providing them with access to mental and social support and ensuring that they can access their basic human rights. This objective was achieved through the provision of necessary mental health and psychosocial support services, the empowerment of public officials in the field of mental health and data collection, as well as the collection of testimonies highlighting the weaknesses of the national mental health service delivery system in Greece.