On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, the second training seminar on managing patients' associations in the field of mental health was held in Barcelona, run by the UIC Barcelona Albert J Jovell Institute for Public Health and Patients in collaboration with Janssen. The seminar, which took place between 13 and 15 October, was aimed at the leaders of patient organisations from the different autonomous communities of Spain and provided some key pointers for improving the management of their organisations and how to use their positions to help normalise the stigma associated with mental health.
Pere Bonet, head of the Althaia Foundation's Mental Health Division and president of the Advisory Committee for Mental Health and Addictions at the Government of Catalonia's Ministry of Health, argued that the approach to mental illness must be integrated into the model for chronic disease. In the same vein, Dr José Emilio Rojo, a professor at the UIC Barcelona Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, went into more detail about the advances and new perspectives for the treatment of these diseases.
During the opening session, Dr M. Dolors Navarro, Director of the Albert J. Jovell Institute for Public Health and Patients and leader of the seminar, underlined the importance of “training leaders of change who can establish collaborative networks with other organisations, institutions and professionals in order to promote an integrated approach by the different agents involved”.
The main topics covered included those relating to organisation, institutional relations, communication and leadership.
