In Italy, every year, 1 in 4 people suffer from a mental disorder but, despite the impact on the population is quite high, people living with mental disorders and their loved ones are frequently victims of isolation and prejudice. Prejudices that impact the lives of these people, their social, educational opportunities and current and future job prospects. To overcome these disparities and ensure that those suffering from mental disorders and their loved ones are fully integrated in all aspects of life, it is necessary, first of all, to ‘break prejudices’: phrases, behaviors and preconceptions dictated by the lack of knowledge of these pathologies . This is the objective of the second edition of the ‘Together for Mental Health’ campaign, promoted by Lundbeck Italy with the patronage of the main scientific societies, foundations and patient associations. On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, Sunday 10 October in collaboration with Bam, the Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano, a project of the Riccardo Catella Foundation, an event was held open to all citizens, and broadcast in live streaming, with the aim of to turn the spotlight on the need to focus on people living with these disorders, promoting their integration, respect and social inclusion. During the day, a popular scientific talk was held to listen – from the hands of the experts – reflections and their direct professional experiences, a workshop dedicated to children to face together with them a path of awareness with a handbook of behaviors that simplify meanings of mental health distributed throughout the area of the city park, the depiction of soap bubbles, a metaphor for the prejudice to be broken, and finally, the performance of Billy Bolla, an Italian artist who uses soap bubbles as an expressive tool. “Dare voice to initiatives so important for public health is one of Bam’s missions in the #wellness section of the cultural program. the powerful language of culture is scientific, with performative and educational moments for all we want the community to be engaged on these issues, then bringing with it knowledge and emotions “declared Francesca Colombo, cultural director general of the Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano, Fondazione Riccardo Catella.” In recent years, some progress has been made in overcoming prejudices towards those living with a mental disorder, but there is still a long way to go. World Mental Health Day is an ideal time to turn the spotlight on these issues, but attention needs to not be exhausted only on these occasions. It is necessary to understand that the bias associated with mental disorders has a major bearing on the lives of these people, especially young people. The stigma feeds the fear of not being understood and accepted, while adolescents need models of reference that also make the pathology a strength “, explained Massimo Recalcati, an Italian psychoanalyst, essayist and academic. unequal treatment and quality of care provided between those suffering from mental illness and those with other pathologies. This is in fact the theme of the 2021 campaign, ‘Mental Health in an Unequal World’, as recalls Alberto Siracusano, Full Professor of Psychiatry at the Tor Vergata University of Rome and President of the Academy of Psychiatric Sciences: “Access to care is not uniform and this disparity, combined with the stigma, risks fueling a vicious circle, making it even worse the social status of a person living with a mental disorder. There are several factors from which these inequalities are generated – adds Siracusano – for example the economic condition or vital poverty and in this sense the stigma and prejudice do nothing but further negatively affect the quality of life of people living with disorders. and their loved ones. “” Mental disorders in our country still tend to be too underestimated by public opinion, despite the numbers telling us that one in four people every year experience a problem with one of these problems and that in a year the specialist services of the National Health Service assist more than 850 thousand people. Just like mental disorders, neurological diseases are also shrouded in a stigma that it is important to counter by helping citizens to be increasingly aware of it “, recalled Alessandro Padovani, full professor of Neurology at the University of Brescia. further highlighted in recent months the need to pay the right attention to mental health, also from a point of view of public commitment: “It is important that institutions also play their part in the fight against prejudice and overcoming stigma. It is essential – remarked Pierfrancesco Majorino, MEP, former councilor for social services at the municipality of Milan – that we begin to integrate more and more the health and social aspects, when it comes to the management of these pathologies with increasing attention to patients and their relational sphere “. To support the initiative, this year too, in addition to the main scientific societies, foundations and patient associations, associations and bodies close to the world of health and actors operating in different fields have joined and complementaries who wanted to give their aegis, as evidence of a joint commitment that involves everyone. “It was a great source of pride for us to promote this second edition of the ‘Together for Mental Health’ campaign and celebrate 10 October with a cultural event in collaboration with the Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano, Riccardo Catella Foundation – explained Tiziana Mele, CEO of L undbeck Italia – We share with the Foundation the inclusive spirit and the commitment to carry out activities inspired by the sustainability objectives of the United Nations and we are confident that this event is the first appointment of many others that we will carry out together to talk about such important issues, and equally sensitive, through different languages and capable of bringing everyone closer to a reality that is still, unfortunately, often taboo today. We believe – he concluded – in these ways of raising awareness and for this reason also this year we are promoting the third edition of the People In Mind art competition, an initiative that wants to give light and color to people suffering from mental disorders and their loved ones. through art and social commitment “.
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