For many years Mental Health Europe (MHE), has been calling for wider recognition of the crisis of confidence in the increasingly biological/neurological approach taken by Western psychiatry as well as for action in order to change this culture within mental health services including through the adoption of a human rights-based approach. Following on from our work on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), and the adoption of the “Bucharest Manifesto” developed by MHE’s expert group -the Beyond the Biomedical Paradigm Taskforce (BBP Taskforce) – MHE has turned its attention towards the forthcoming revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD 10) which will become ICD-11 when it is adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2018.
In light of this, we are circulating this questionnaire to seek the views of the mental health community on this matter including mental health professionals, organisations active in the field of mental health, users of mental health and their families and carers.

If you would like to help contribute to the dialogue regarding the revision process, please answer the questionnaire at this link https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZYMP9NJ. The questionnaire is short and should only take a few minutes of your time! Please only answer the questions you feel comfortable with as not all questions are mandatory, if you feel that you do not have the requisite expertise to answer the question you may leave it blank or in some cases, answer ‘I don’t know’.

Dead line for answers to the questionnaire is the end of February

To know more about the MHE BBPTF and of its work on ICD-10 revision  please open the following links:

• http://www.mhe-sme.org/policy-work/bbp-task-force/
• Phttp://www.mhe-sme.org/fileadmin/Position_papers/MHE_Position_Paper_on_ICD-10_Revision.pdf .
• http://mhe-sme.org/fileadmin/Position_papers/MHE_Call_for_Action_ICD_10.pdf

The Prato Hearing Voices Group and the Joint Experiences & Local Mental Health Systems project

How to facilitate the development of independent self-help groups and associations

below the presentation of AISMe

On October the 19  a very fruitful meeting of the Italian National platform has been held in Florence in the palace of the Tuscany Region.  The meeting, wich has been coordinated by AISMe, was attendend by the following associations:   AIRSAM, Alba , AISMe, Casa della Cultura, Coordinamento Toscano Associazioni di salute mentale, Diritti senza barriere, Gruppo  auto aiuto di Massa, Rete Toscana degli utenti, Volontariato oggi. Apologies from L’UNASAM. The political responsibles of health and social sector of the Tuscany Region and of the Florence Municipality intervened too. The work has been focused to giving a statute to the platform taking inspiration from the MHE statutes.  Core points have been discussed deeply and it is foreseen the  statute will be ready by the end of the year.  It was also decided to establish the secretariat of the Platform in Florence at the Casa della Cultura. We remember shortly how the Platform was launched in October  2012 in Florence. Since then several meetings have been held and the  manifesto “Carta di Firenze ” was approved and disseminated widely.  A presentation of the Platform was held last year in Rome at the Health Ministery.  The health minister has been informed of the development of the platform and AISMe has been congratulated

Se below the programme of the meeting