17/6/17

The mental health of the refugees in the vice of the agreement EU-Turkey and fortress-Europe-one day work shop



Program
Attendance 11.00
Starting: 12.00

12.00-12.10 Introduction on behalf of SYPROME: Pavlos Antonopoulos
12.10-14.00 Experiences from meeting with trauma and mental pain of children and adults refugees
Coordinator: Katerina Matsa, psychiatrist

«The experience of the Center of Child's Mental Hygiene PEDY with the refugees»:
12.10-12.25 a. «Prevention in mental health»
Despoina Kostopoulou, psychologist

23.25-12.40 b. «Concerns about intercultural education».
Kalliopi Oikonomou, special educator

12.40-12.55 «Thoughts, experiences, concerns in our route with refugees and immigrants»
Dimitra Xenaki, phychologist/phychoanalyst and Maria Ntasiou, pneumologist

12.55-13.10 «Women refugees/immigrants».
Dora Koutsanellou, psychologist



13.10-13.25 «The reflection of the living conditions in the hosting country on the mental pain of refugees».
Foris Kouniakis, psychiatrist

13.25-13.40 «The need for an inter-cultural approach of the mental pain of refugees».
Thodoris Megalooikonomou

13.40-14.00 Discussion

14.00-14.15 Break

14.15-15.30 The importance of understanding and equal recognition of the culture of the “Other”
Coordinator : Litsa Fryda, teacher

14.15-14.30 «Approaches of the “other” and management of the refugee crisis».
Chrisa Giannopoulou, Dr. in Social Anthropology, University of Macedonia

14.30-14.45 «Diversity and mental pain»
Nasim Lomani, refugee accommodation and solidarity space City Plaza

14.45-15.00 «The “culturally Other”, as vulnerable, threat and object of management. Experiences from practical solidarity projects to the refugees»
Giorgos Maniatis, refugee accommodation and solidarity space City Plaza

15.00-15.30 Discussion

Interventions by refugees will take place.

INVITATION TO AN ONE-DAY WORKSHOP

THE MENTAL HEALTH OF THE REFUGEES IN THE VICE OF THE AGREEMENT EU-TURKEY AND FORTRESS-EUROPE

For as long as the entrapment of refugees in Greece becomes prolonged and more suffocating, with the perspective and the potential of any way-out becoming, already, more hermetically sealed, and with the painful experience of such an irrevocable entrapment being their more and more unbearable daily life, the impact on their mental health is multiplied and becomes more and more serious.
This reality includes the predetermined rejection of the applications of asylum, the stagnation (actually rejection) of the relocation processes, and the walls that the “civilized” Europe raises even against the processes of family reunification. And even, the perpetual entrapment of the majority, in conditions of extreme deprivation, in the hotspots of the islands and the multiple mainland camps, with the impending threat of the mass deportations to Turkey, a country considered as “safe third country”.
This pain is expressed with various psychopathological manifestations, related to, mainly, the unbearable psycho-pressing, traumatic conditions that they experience here, which lie on and interact with the multi-traumatic experiences lived by the refugees, coming from their desperate effort of escaping the war havoc (but also the economic catastrophe), to their traumatic experiences before the refuge.
Suicide attempts are multiplied, as are the cases of severe depressive disorders and psychotic episodes, while the hospitalizations in psychiatric units, often with involuntary hospitalization, have increased. The question is if the existing services (dramatically understaffed and under-functional) have the ability to confront the problems of the refugees in their particularity and their complexity. When, beyond the lack of (appropriate) translators for the basic linguistic communication, there is dramatically no ability of understanding the culture of the “other” (of its national, social and cultural context), on which thw mental pain of the subject is registered, takes meaning and is expressed.
We think that it is urgent to open up the discussion on all these issues, which are of major importance for the mental health of the refugees.
This is the reason why we invite all those who, in any way, face, are involved or are called to provide answers to the painful contradictions that the refugees experience, the mental health workers, the solidarians, the unions, the social collectivities, the refugees themselves, and all those who are interested, to participate and contribute to the one-day workshop that is organized by the Coordination of trade unions, student unions and other groups for solidarity to refugees and immigrants.
«The mental health of the refugees – The need for an inter-cultural approach for the understanding of the mental pain of the refugee»
Sunday, 25/ June, at 11 am,
Hall of the Association of Greek Archaeologists (Ermou 134), near the train station of Thiseio
Coordination of trade unions, student unions and other groups for solidarity to refugees and immigrants.