Take part in „Mind the Mind workshop” aiming at combating the stigma of mental disorders!

We warmly invite English-speaking students to take part in Mind the Mind workshops aiming at combating the stigma of mental disorders, an initiative of European Federation of Psychology Students’ Associations; a part of its Social Impact Initiative; co-organized in Warsaw by Scientific Students’ Union „Dialog” at the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Warsaw; led by project volunteers.

During the workshop you will:
– Get to know some facts and myths about mental disorders
– Find out what kind of problems can be encountered by people with mental disorders in everyday life
– Have an opportunity to discuss the issue of support for people with mental disorders

Imagine if someone blamed you for having an illness…and imagine what would happen if you didn’t seek help
Stigma is one of the most common reasons why individuals with mental disorders are not seeking help. As for physical diseases, like cancer, mental disorder can have serious consequences for the wellbeing, relationships and professional function for the individual.

What is the stigma of mental disorders?
Stigma is associating negative qualities with having a mental disorder. For example, a person with a mental disorder may be wrongly viewed (or even view themselves) as being weak or „damaged”, leading to feelings of shame and/or embarrassment. This is, in many cases, preventing them from seeking help or professional support from others.

How to combat the stigma of mental disorders?
There are some ways, which are proven to be effective in changing attitudes. Firstly – education concerning mental disorders, including informing the society about the possible success in professional treatment. An attempt to understand the feelings of people with mental disorders, who are among us and introducing positive behaviors towards them also help in combating the stigma.

What is EFPSA Social Impact Initiative?
„Facilitating the implementation of psychological knowledge into society by linking students, academics, professionals and the public”
The European Federation of Psychology Students’ Associations intends to inform the public about the important issue about the stigma of mental disorders and the valuable psychological research about it, through its Social Impact Initiative. We are building a project with which we intend to change the way people in Europe think about people with mental disorders.

The workshop will take place on 10th March, in The University Volunteers Center office (UW Library Building) from 2 pm to 4 pm. If you want to take part, please send us an email (wolontariat[at]uw.edu.pl), the deadline for applications is Wednesday (8.03) at 11 am!
The sooner the better – places are limited!

Let’s combat the stigma of mental disorders together!