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European Network of (ex-)Users and Survivors
of Psychiatry
ENUSP is an initiative to give (ex-)users and survivors
of psychiatric services a means to communicate, to
exchange opinions, views and experiences in order
to support each other in the personal, political and
social struggle against expulsion, injustice and stigma
in our respective countries.
ENUSP is the only grassroots umbrella organisation
on a European level that unifies (among others) national
organisations of (ex-)users and survivors of psychiatry
across the continent to provide a direct representation
of people who are or have been on the receiving end
of psychiatric services. Involvement of both user
and survivor organisations from all over Europe is
a unique added value of the Network.
History
The history of the Network goes back to 1990 when
the initiative was taken in the Netherlands to form
a network of associations of (former) psychiatric
patients from various European countries. Since then
the Network has organised European conferences (Zandvoort
/ Netherlands 1991; Elsinore / Denmark 1994; Reading
/ England 1997; Luxembourg 1999; Vejle / Denmark 2004).
In Luxembourg more than 90 delegates, all of them
(ex-)users/survivors of psychiatry from 26 European
countries, representing national and local associations,
met and created an action plan for the coming years.
In 1998 the Network received legal
recognition and since then it has been a federation
of European associations of (ex-)users and survivors
of psychiatry.
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| Members of ENUSP at a demonstration
in the city of Oslo, August 1999. From
left: Tormod Bakke (Oslo), Arnet Johansen
(Lillehammer / Norway), Virpi Vesterinen
(Turku / Finland), Paul Fijn (Deventer
/ Netherlands) and Maths Jesperson (Lund
/ Sweden). Photo by Kerstin Kempker (Berlin).
The text on the poster by Tormod Bakke
and Arnet Johansen is: "It is allowed
to be different." |
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Aims and objectives
The European Network aims to promote and improve the human
rights of (ex-)users and survivors of psychiatry; to fight
for (ex-)user/survivor controlled alternatives to psychiatry
and against abuse and coercion. On the very first European
Conference the following guiding principle has been adopted:
The European Network is against any unilateral approach
to, and stigmatisation of mental and emotional distress,
madness, human suffering and unconventional behaviour.
The European Network should support (ex-)users'/survivors'
autonomy and responsibility in making their own decisions
(self-determination).
In order to implement this principle, priority has been
given to the following areas:
- Act against any kind of discrimination in society (both
inside and outside the mental health care system) of people
who have been subject to the psychiatric system;
- Support development of (ex-)user/survivor groups throughout
Europe (with a particular emphasis on those countries
where there are no existing organisations);
- Create and support new alternatives to the psychiatric
system and collect and share information on the existing
ones;
- Influence and try to change present treatment in psychiatry.
The European Network attempts to influence policy at a
European level and maintains contacts with other international
organisations active in the mental health field. Contacts
and collaboration have been set up with the World Health
Organisation (WHO), the European Union, the European Disability
Forum, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Mental
Health Europe/Santé Mental Europe (the former European Regional
Council of the World Federation for Mental Health) etc.
Structure
The European Network is a federation of national and local
associations of (ex-)users and survivors and of mixed organisations
with a significant (ex-)user/survivor membership. From those
countries where there are no such associations, exceptionally
individual (ex-)user/survivor members are also accepted.
The main decision making body of the Network is the General
Meeting consisting of (at the most three) delegates, only
(ex-)users/survivors, of each participating country.
General Meetings take place as a part of the European
conferences organised by the Network every second year.
Between two subsequent Meetings an elected board runs the
Network. The board
consists of a Chair (elected by the General Meeting) and
of five regional board members, each representing one of
the five regions in Europe (elected by the delegates of
the respective region).
This (rather complicated) structure (see the organigramme)
intends to make the Network a grassroots, democratic and
fully (ex-)user/survivor controlled organisation.
The members of the Network are listet on the membership-list.
There are national, regional and local organisations in
many European countries. Through the membership of the member
organisations the Network represents several ten thousands
of (ex-) users/survivors from all over Europe.
Secretary and the European Desk
The secretary of the European Network is elected by the
board. Since 1991 a Dutch initiative, the European Desk
assists the Network as a centre of communication and information,
also playing an important role in organising the board meetings,
seminars and the European conferences. In the beginning
of 2001 the European
Secretariat moved to Berlin.
Memberships
European
Disability Forum (EDF),
European
Patient Forum (EPF),
World
Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry (WNUSP),
International Disability Caucus (IDC)
Back to the homepage:
www.enusp.org
Address: European Network of (ex-)Users and Survivors
of Psychiatry, Zabel-Krüger-Damm 183, D-13469 Berlin,
Phone +49 30 8596 3706, eMail
desk@enusp.org
ENUSP bank-connection (for membership-fees, donations etc.):
ABN AMRO in Utrecht, Netherlands, Account. 53.45.57.082,
SWIFT: ABN-NL 2A. For transnational payments: International
Bank Account Number (IBAN): NL54 ABNA 0534 5570 82, Bank
Identifier Code (BIC): ABNANL2A