The Fourth Annual Conference of the Social Inclusion of Persons with Mental Disabilities Project

The Social Inclusion of Persons with Mental Disabilities Project held its Fourth Annual Conference together with the Second Meeting of the Pan-European Mental Health Coalition.

 

On 23-24 November 2022, the Annual Conference of the Social Inclusion of Persons with Mental Disabilities Project was held in Ankara, Turkey in hybrid format with the Pan-European Mental Health Coalition meeting. The joint event aims to leverage regional momentum and continue to advocate for actions needed to improve mental health systems across the WHO European Region.

 

The event brought together government representatives, people with mental health problems, academics and many other experts working at the local, national and regional levels, also aiming to share examples of good practice in national contexts.

 

During the two days, the participants shared ideas on how to implement reforms in the following areas:

 

• combat stigma and discrimination and prepare leaders to advocate for reforms.

• build support for children, adolescents and young people in mental health systems.

• promoting healthy aging, including the prevention of dementia in older adults,

• develop workplaces that support and protect mental health and well-being,

• protecting mental health in emergencies,

• ensuring that everyone has access to quality mental health services.

 

Turkiye implemented the National Mental Health Policy in 2005, followed by the First National Mental Health Action plan covering 2011-2023. In 2018, the Turkish government, with the support of the European Union, partnered with the WHO Regional Office for Europe to run the Social Inclusion of Persons with Mental Disabilities Project, which aims to make mental health services more human-centered, healing-oriented and community-based.

 

At the project's annual conference, the WHO Regional Office for Europe showcased the project's many achievements over the past four years, including:

 

• implementation of a national model of community-based mental health and disability care services;

• ensuring evidence-based policy making, planning, implementation and regulation of services for people with mental health problems;

• training mental health professionals to apply an individual-centred approach to mental health and disability care.