Mental Health is an issue for everybody. Once neglected and left in the hands of “psychiatric professionals” it now involves players from such different sectors as Education, Justice and the Workplace. Health issues, and in particular mental illness, have social and economic implications. Mental Health has featured largely in recent national and European political discussions, and is one of the major issues concerning health ministers throughout the world. On the other hand research into Mental Health and Social Engagement is still only in the early stages. The closure of asylums is still quite recent, and even where Social Psychiatry has gained experience few studies have been conducted. There is a lack of information sharing about new practices and clinical experiences. Dialogue remains confidential and the creation of networks depends upon the initiative of individuals. It therefore seems vital to bring together the different visions and approaches to Mental Health of the many different players. The First International Conference on Mental Health in Luxembourg (Mersch) will explore the various ways in which both individuals and a wide range of organizations can promote Mental Health, and more specifically the integration, rehabilitation and social participation of people suffering with mental illness. The conference will emphasize the current state of research and of initiatives designed to prevent social exclusion, together with the rehabilitation, professional integration and social participation of people suffering from mental illness.
The conference’s main goal is to propose a general and integrated procedure to promote mental health by taking into account practices and studies in the areas of prevention, rehabilitation and social participation of people suffering from mental illness. The short term goals are to consider studies and practices that refer to treatment of the individual suffering from mental illness in the current social context and to allow for an exchange of ideas between practitioners and between practitioners and researchers. The mid-term goal is to identify research fields that should be prioritized. The lectures could open up potential research fields for university students, but should also be a source of inspiration for professional practice for players from the medical, psychosocial, political and business sectors. More Detail
The conference expects to address and / or raise a series of questions by the presentation of studies and practices based on the following axes: Introduction Contextualization: mental health – mental illness - economic engagement How has Mental Health in Europe and abroad evolved? What are the new trends in treatment? How has the treatment of individuals suffering from a mental illness evolved? From disability to disabled worker: perspectives. Legal evolution and rights versus the social representation of mental illness. Evolution of duties versus mental illness. 1. Rehabilitation aims to help the individual to function better in their preferred environments, returning to an old role or finding a new one which helps improve their self-esteem. The lectures will target the chosen environments. They take into account not only the skills of the individual but also the support and adaptability of the chosen environments.
Are there other contexts in which to organize activities in mental health? Does work contribute to the well being of people suffering from mental illnesses? Does work participate in stability and the remission of symptoms? Why, how? Can the effects of working in a protected environment simulate those of a normal workplace? Is a protected workplace necessary? Why? How? For who? Can we envision “rehabilitation” without work? What are the ethical values underlying rehabilitation companies? What are the costs of work organized for the mentally ill? What are the alternatives? 2. Social Participation is a course of action aimed at taking part in the life of a group or in society. An instance of social participation means the full achievement of a lifestyle, resulting from interaction between personal elements (deficiencies, inabilities and other personal characteristics) and elements of the environment (facilitators and obstacles). What courses of action already exist aimed at the social participation of the mentally ill? How are they organized? Who is behind them? Can mental health professionals and politicians organize social participation? What kind of participation is possible and expected by society? What participation is wrong? Is this a question for professionals or should it be up to the initiative of the individual concerned? Can individuals and professionals work together on each other’s initiatives? What are their respective goals? What are their respective skills? What are their respective values? How can we define the value of courses of action for social participation? How can they be measured? 3. The Professional integration of an individual involves the status of the person in work, but also professional uncertainty. According to this definition an employee has a precarious job when his employment is uncertain and he cannot foresee his professional future (because the risk of losing his job is permanent). Professional integration is here seen in the relation between the individual and his job. How can we integrate people with mental illness into the company? How are psychiatric problems treated in the company? Conclusion In conclusion, we would like to discuss the interactions (inclusions/exclusions) between the above-mentioned concepts: rehabilitation – social participation – professional integration and raise the issues of society’s engagement in mental illness. Your questions, studies and practices will be added to the issues raised by the conference: Please send us your suggested lectures:
For information: symposium@atp.lu
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