Focal point for MHE
16-12-2008

In the 11 years that projekt UDENFOR has existed we have always prioritized international co-operation and networking. But why do we as a small, national organization prioritize this? Well, because we have so much to lean from foreign countries. We can lean a lot of good practise from organization in other countries, in spite of the fact that so many foreign countries are less resourceful than Denmark.    

We have since 1997 been a member of the European umbrella organization Mental Health Europe / Santé Mentale Europe. The members of MHE are all organization that works with issues in regarding to mental suffering and mental health in another way than the health professionals.

We were in 2008 chosen to be the one member from Denmark that should be in charge of the contact to MHE – which means that we should function as the focal point. Every time MHE needs information regarding the Danish conditions and policies on mental health they will contact us. Our information officer, Lisette Andersen, is in charge of this contact and can be reached at lla@udenfor.dk

In October we needed to comment on the Danish report National report regarding strategies for social protection and social inclusion 2008 – 2010, made in September 2008 by the Welfare Ministry and the Ministry of Health and Prevention. All EU member states write this kind of report and the assignment from MHE was to point out positive and negative aspects within the report in relation to mental health and suffering. 

From an overall perspective the Danish report focussed too much on self- dependence and work with emphasis on self-dependence, and because of this it does not pay any attention to the holistic effort and the complexity that people with a mental condition are experiencing. Some of these citizens will never be self-dependent, but they should still have the right to meaningful activities, which can support their quality of life. In projekt UDENFOR we meet this kind of people in the streets, people who are not capable of taking care of themselves or of working.    

In other words, there is still something to fight for, both nationally and internationally, when we are dealing with mental health. We are looking forward to the co-operation with MHE, where we will seek to put the mental health of exposed people into focus.