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The Athens Declaration on Mental Health and Man-made Disasters, Stigma and Community Care WE, THE UNDERSIGNED mental health professionals linked to national governments and members of mental health organizations of south and south-eastern Europe, gathered at the WHO meeting for the countries of south and south-east Europe: Mental health and stigma in a world of crisis, Athens, Greece, 8-9 June 2001 EXPRESS OUR DEEP CONCERN ABOUT:
II the persistence of stigma and discrimination against persons with mental disorders and their families; and III the limitations of mental health care and social support provided by outmoded institutions. CONSIDERING THAT:
- older as well as more recent preventable socio-environmental causes, such as war, rapid economic changes, disruption of family networks, forced and economic migration, are having a devastating effect on the mental health condition of large population groups in Europe; - the World Health Day and other activities related to this Year of Mental Health 2001 have greatly contributed to raise societal awareness in regard to the relative major contribution of mental disorders to the global burden of disease and the existence of effective interventions; - the Ministers of Health from the world over unanimously agreed during the 2001 World Health Assembly that mental health should have greater priority in their national health programmes; and - the medical profession has been enlightened worldwide by the Hippocratic rules originally born in ancient Greece; and that the principles laid down in these remain valid for health professions all over the world. HAVING NOTED THAT: I Solid evidence exists on the deleterious effects of stigma and discrimination on the course and outcome of mental disorders and the welfare of the persons affected by them and their families; but that activities aimed at reducing stigma can be implemented with good results; II governments and the public at large are becoming aware increasingly that violence is destroying the social fabric of their communities, but studies have shown that health promotion and other social interventions including the promotion of peaceful communication have been shown to be effective; III many and large groups of individuals are deprived of mental health care, particularly immigrants, the displaced and refugees; WHO Regional Office for Europe, the European Union and several European governments and NGOs are making decisive efforts to include all population groups in mental health policies, programmes and services; and IV outmoded mental institutions are often a source of human rights violation and fail to meet modern criteria of service provision; and that, from all points of view, community-based care is preferable. WE CALL UPON: I governments and peoples of our countries, in particular those facing a crisis situation, engaging all relevant sectors of society and science to intensify their efforts in promoting a climate of reconciliation, of respectful acceptance of differences, and of collaboration and solidarity to prevent man-made disasters and their adverse consequences on people of all ethnic, national and social affiliations. There is no mental health without peace; II governments of our countries, the World Health Organization, the European Union, professional organizations and NGOs to cooperate and form the networks necessary to promote the exchange of information, experiences and other resources and offer mutual help in combating the consequences of man-made disaster; III governments of our countries, the World Health Organization, the European Union, professional organizations and NGOs to implement programmes aimed at reducing stigma and discrimination; and to uphold the principle of equity in their mental health policies, programmes and services; and to accelerate the transfer of mental health care into the community; IV governments of our countries, the World Health Organization and the European Union to pursue vigorously and systematically the process of destigmatization and the development of community mental health services that will lead to guarantees of the patient's civil and human rights to the appropriate mental health services, as well as to education, housing and employment, so that their reintegration into society is based on solidarity, humanity and pragmatic grounds. Given in Athens, Greece, on the Ninth Day of the Month of June of the Year Two-thousand and One Dr Stojan Aleksievski Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia Dr Milos Bajic Bosnia &Herzegovina Dr Sebastiano Bastianelli San Marino Dr A. Constantopoulos Greece Dr Milomir Djeric Bosnia & Herzegovina Dr Victor Aparicio Basauri Spain Dr Ioan Buraga Romania Dr Alfredo Calcedo-Barba Spain Dr Michael von Cranach Germany Dr Eyad El Sarraj Palestininan Authority Mr Petros Giannoulatos Greece Dr. M. J. Heitor dos Santos Portugal Dr Neven Henigsberg Croatia Professor Lars Jacobsson Sweden Dr Danica Kramaric Croatia Dr Cerkez Goran Bosnia & Herzegovina Dr John Henderson United Kingdom Mr Clemens Huitink Netherlands Dr Z.I Kekelidze Russian Federation Dr Abdulah Kucukalic Bosnia & Herzegovina Dr Dusica Lecic -Tosevski Yugoslavia Dr Itzhak Levav Israel Dr Mordechai Mark Israel Dr Borislav Mitric Yugoslavia Dr Vladimir Ortakov Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia Dr Antonio Leuschner Portugal Dr Marcelino Lopez Spain Dr Andrej Marusic Slovenia Dr J. Obiols Llandrich Andora Dr Galia Petrova -Popova Bulgaria Dr Mario Reali Italy Dr Mahmut Sehwail Palestinian Authority Dr Anastas Suli Albania Dr Toma Tomov Bulgaria Dr Bogdana Tudorache Romania Dr Dimokritos Sarantidis Greece Dr Vesna Svab Slovenia Dr Gorana Tocilj-Simunkovic Dr Ysmail Toprak Turkey Dr Mechmet Ugurlu Turkey Dr Anna Varsanova Bulgaria Dr Ray Xerri Malta Dr Petrit Vasili Albania Croatia WE, representatives of the World Health Organization present at this meeting, strongly support the above Declaration, willing to undertake necessary steps to promote awareness and mobilize support within the WHO and its partner organizations: Dr Birgitta Johansson WHO Office, Tirana Albania Dr Ambrogio Manenti WHO Office Skopje Dr Wolfgang Rutz WHO Regional Office for Europe Dr Santino Severoni WHO Office, Tirana , Albania Dr Bengt Lagerkvist Representing WHO Mental Health Programme in Bosnia & Herzegovina Dr Jukka Pukkila WHO Office, Belgrade Mr Anders Satterberg WHO Office , Tirana Albania Dr Jan Theunissen WHO Regional Office for Europe Dr Agis Tsouros WHO Regional Office for Europe Dr Liliana Urbina WHO Office, Pristina Dr Henrik Wahlberg Representing WHO Mental Health Programme in Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia |