In the past years, according to different studies done worldwide, mental health became a burning issue. Recent research done in the countries of ex- Yugoslavia show increase in the number of people struggling with mental health issues (PIN 2022, Cov2Soul, 2021), and the lack of quality community services and interventions that could offer innovative alternative methods to help prevent the problems, but also offer new possibilities for recovery, improvement of life quality and social inclusion for people who use psychiatric services. Three partners from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia are founding members of the Balkan Hearing Voices Network, which actively provides community mental health services and education in alternative treatments of mental health issues. These two organizations and an institution use different art forms – visual arts, literature and theater/ drama – in providing direct support for psychiatric care users but they also use it as a powerful channel of communication and tool for social change.
The Mad Balkans- transforming psychiatry through art project was tailored to respond to the existing challenges and gaps in the field of free, accessible community mental health services based on the use of art and art therapies, practice that has proven rather successful in providing support to people struggling with mental health challenges, especially with the experience of psychoses (https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg178). Another important focus of this project is the promotion of artworks coproduced by professional artists and psychiatric care users. The mission of The Mad Balkans project is to create a platform for the use of art as a tool of support for psychiatric care users in ex- Yugoslavian countries, facilitate co-creation of art works by professional artists and psychiatric care users with the aim of social inclusion and international promotion, to offer an innovative art therapy course program to Universities in the region, and the new tool for improvement of practice to mental health staff of psychiatric institutions.
Through active dialogue and joint artistic production of 13 professionals and artists, as representatives of the society in three Balkan countries and 32 psychiatric care users, and trans- border cooperation- 25 unique artworks will be produced through 88 workshops, 288 support groups and 16 meetings. These activities will aim at empowering participants on individual level, and serving as a bridge between people with mental health issues and their surroundings. Through collaboration with the Norwegian partner- Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet), 16 trainings in art therapy and the use of art as a tool of providing support for psychiatric care users will be offered as an innovative practice in the region, through collaboration with Universities and psychiatric institutions, to 120 students and mental health staff, and will be proposed as a part of University curriculum to local Universities by the end of the project. Associated partners- Faculties of art, psychology and medicine- occupational therapy, as well as psychiatric institutions in these three countries and in Montenegro, will take part through referring their students and mental health staff to these trainings, creating the platform for further development of this practice and improvement of the treatment of mental health issues in the future and promotion of art as a powerful tool in providing both individual support and social change. By the end of the project, the Art therapy course program, which will be introduced in OsloMet in 2024, will be translated and adapted to local needs, and will be presented and offered to local Universities as an introductory course to integrate in their curriculum. Through dissemination activities- public events in all partner countries, final event in Oslo, traditional and social media and publication, the Mad Balkan project will impact the public opinion on mental health and people labeled by their society through the diagnoses they’ve been given. Main goal will be to inform the public, decrease fear and prejudice, stigma and discriminatory attitudes and behaviors, thus supporting the social inclusion of psychiatric care users.
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Poslednjih godina, prema različitim studijama sprovedenim širom sveta, mentalno zdravlje postalo je gorući problem. Najnovija istraživanja sprovedena u zemljama bivše Jugoslavije (PIN 2022, Cov2Soul, 2021), pokazuju porast broja ljudi koji se bore sa problemima mentalnog zdravlja, kao i nedostatak kvalitetnih usluga i intervencija u zajednici koje bi mogle ponuditi inovativne alternativne metode za prevenciju problema, ali i nove mogućnosti za oporavak, poboljšanje kvaliteta života i socijalno uključivanje osoba koje koriste psihijatrijske usluge. Tri partnera iz Hrvatske, Bosne i Hercegovine i Srbije su osnivači Balkanske Hearing voices mreže, koja aktivno pruža usluge mentalnog zdravlja u zajednici i organizuje edukaciju o alternativnim tretmanima u ovoj oblasti. Ove dve organizacije i institucija koriste različite umetničke forme – vizuelne umetnosti, književnost i pozorište/dramu – u pružanju direktne podrške korisnicima psihijatrijskih usluga, ali i kao moćan kanal komunikacije i alat za društvene promene.
Projekat Ludi Balkan- tranformacija psihijatrije kroz umetnost je kreiran da odgovori na postojeće izazove i nedostatke u oblasti besplatnih, dostupnih usluga mentalnog zdravlja u zajednici zasnovanih na korišćenju umetnosti i art terapije, prakse koja se pokazala veoma uspešnom u pružanju podrške ljudima koji se bore sa izazovima u oblasti mentalnog zdravlja, posebno sa iskustvom psihoze https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg178). Još jedan važan fokus ovog projekta je promocija umetničkih dela nastalih u koprodukciji profesionalnih umetnika i korisnika psihijatrijskih usluga. Misija projekta Ludi Balkan je kreiranje platforme za korišćenje umetnosti kao alata podrške korisnicima psihijatrijske nege u zemljama bivše Jugoslavije, omogućavanje ko-kreacije umetničkih dela profesionalnih umetnika i korisnika psihijatrijskih usluga u cilju socijalne inkluzije i međunarodne promocije, da ponudi inovativni program kursa art terapije univerzitetima u regionu i novi alat za unapređenje prakse osoblju mentalnog zdravlja u psihijatrijskim ustanovama.
Aktivnim dijalogom i zajedničkom umetničkom produkcijom 13 profesionalaca i umetnika, kao predstavnika društva u tri balkanske zemlje i 32 korisnika psihijatrijskih usluga, i prekograničnom saradnjom, biće proizvedeno 25 unikatnih umetničkih dela kroz 88 radionica, 288 grupa podrške i 16 sastanaka. Ove aktivnosti za cilj imaju da osnaže učesnike na individualnom nivou i da posluže kao most između ljudi sa problemima mentalnog zdravlja i njihovog okruženja. Kroz saradnju sa norveškim partnerom – Oslo Metropolitan Univerzitetom (OsloMet), trening iz art terapije i upotrebe umetnosti kao alata za pružanje podrške korisnicima psihijatrijskih usluga biće ponuđen kao inovativna praksa u regionu, kroz saradnju sa univerzitetima i psihijatrijskim ustanovama, za 120 studenata i zaposlenih u sistemu mentalnog zdravlja, i biće predložen kao deo univerzitetskog nastavnog plana i programa lokalnim univerzitetima do kraja projekta. Pridruženi partneri – Fakulteti umetnosti, psihologije i medicine – radne terapije, kao i psihijatrijske ustanove u ove tri zemlje i u Crnoj Gori, učestvovaće kroz upućivanje svojih studenata i zaposlenih na ove obuke, stvarajući platformu za dalji razvoj ove prakse i unapređenje tretmana mentalnog zdravlja u budućnosti, kao i promociju umetnosti kao moćnog alata u pružanju individualne podrške i društvenih promena. Do kraja projekta, program uvodnog kursa iz Art terapije, koji će biti uveden u OsloMetu 2024. godine, biće preveden i prilagođen lokalnim potrebama, a biće predstavljen i ponuđen lokalnim univerzitetima kao uvodni kurs koji može biti integrisan u njihov nastavni plan i program. Kroz promotivne aktivnosti – javne događaje u svim partnerskim zemljama, završni događaj u Oslu, tradicionalne i društvene medije i publikacije, projekat Ludi Balkan će uticati na podizanje svesti javnosti na temu mentalnog zdravlja i ljudima koje njihovo društvo etiketira kroz dijagnoze koje su im date. Osnovni cilj će biti informisanje javnosti, smanjenje straha i predrasuda, stigme i diskriminatornih stavova i ponašanja, podršku socijalnoj inkluziji korisnika psihijatrijskih usluga.
