The Catalan Mental Health Congress Foundation organized its 6th Congress titled “MIGRATION, EXILE, AND REFUGE: HUMAN RIGHTS AND MENTAL HEALTH”which was held at CosmoCaixa in Barcelona on June 1, 2, and 3, 2017.
In this sixth edition, the Congress was organized together with the Official College of Social Work of Catalonia (CDTSC) and the Official College of Physicians of Barcelona (COMB) and with the collaboration of the rest of the professional colleges, patron members of the Foundation: Official College of Psychology of Catalonia (COPC), Official College of Nurses and Nursing Assistants of Barcelona (COIB) and College of Social Educators of Catalonia (CEESC).
The topic addressed on this occasion responds to the dramatic situation we are experiencing in Europe with the refugee crisis and the desire to be another element of denunciation and mobilization, for the development of different levels of response, in this case, from the perspective of community mental health.
The FCCSM Congresses are held every three to four years and are the result of group participation processes around various topics, always linked to issues related to mental health and committed to the situations being experienced. For some years now, migratory processes, the search for refuge from various adversities and bereavements (wars, hunger, political persecution, etc.) have been causes for concern and have revealed a high number of deficiencies. Intense migratory movements are occurring worldwide.
Migratory movements of great intensity are occurring worldwide, causing significant suffering for those in this situation and perplexity and unexpected responses in the societies or countries that could offer welcome.
They carry a high burden of suffering for those in this situation and perplexity and unexpected responses in the societies or countries that could offer shelter. These situations are causing many of the values on which coexistence, community life, and even international solidarity were based to be re-examined. All of this affects health and collective mental health, if we understand the latter as the way of functioning solidaristically and collectively confronting all those elements that affect the individual and can make community life viable and creative.
The Congress was an invitation to debate, to deliberation, to sharing so many concerns and the strong desire to address them through open and solidarity-based reflection, because it is together that we will be able to build proposals to reduce risks and increase levels of coexistence and citizenship, and therefore, of health. And all of this from an interdisciplinary, intersectoral, and inter-institutional perspective, making room for so many people and groups who have experience, knowledge, and an interest in the subject.
Finally, at this 6th Congress, we remembered and honored the personality and trajectory of two friends and colleagues of the Foundation, both pioneers and examples of good practice in public and community mental health. Josep Clusa to whom did we dedicate the Memorial of this edition and Valentin Barenblit with whom we have the pleasure of continuing to share old projects and new challenges, we paid them a heartfelt and well-deserved tribute.