First Solidarity Week on Mental Health

20/04/2018

The UAB Faculties of Science and Biosciences present the "First Solidarity Week", an activity recognised and funded by the Community Involvement Unit, creator of the Council of Bioscience Students (CEBIO), which aims to focus on socially taboo issues in which there is a lack of information but could be of interest to students at both the social and academic levels.

The objective of the Solidarity Week, taking place from 23 to 27 April, is to raise awareness on different issues from a scientific and social point of view and thus get members of the university community involved. The subject chosen this year is mental health, coinciding with the subject proposed by the Community Involvement Unit.

There is a need to make mental disorders visible, to remove the social stigma associated with them, and provide scientific knowledge on the matter, as well as inform society about the wide array of degrees of disorders people may suffer from.

Different activities have been programmed for this week with the aim of uniting different areas of knowledge and experience and offering attendants a complete vision of mental health. This in turn helps to promote a critical spirit when faced with this subject and eliminates existing social stigmas, favouring equality among individuals who suffer from these disorders and those who do not.

A Different Mental Health Issue Every Day
During the week different aspects will be discussed: On Monday 23 April activities will focus on mental disorders; On Tuesday 24 April there will be conferences on depression and anxiety; Wednesday 25 April will focus on suicide; Thursday 26 April will be dedicated to the treatment, rehabilitation and prevention of mental disorders; and finally on Friday 27 April the focus will be on the social stigma surrounding mental disorders.

The activities aim to offer participants a complete vision on mental health which could help to build a critical spirit and favour equality between those who suffer from these disorders and those who do not. The First Solidarity Week has been possible thanks to the collaboration of several professions from the Spanish Association of Neuropsychiatry (AEN), the CORE in Mental Health, the Prevention of Anxiety and Depression (PREAD) association, the After Suicide - Survivors' Association (DSAS), the Sant Pau Hospital, the Mental Health Support Association of Sant Cugat del Vallès and the Veus Federation.