RECovery of Adults living with Depression and psychosis in Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

RECovery of Adults living with Depression and psychosis in Europe

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Disabilities – special needs; Access for disadvantaged; Health and wellbeing

Project Summary

Mental illness affects around 27% (83m.) of Europeans annually (European Social Work, 2013). The European Mental Health Action Plan for 2010-2020 provides for inclusion policies at a national level encouraging policymakers to support the transition towards community-based mental health care. The Council of Ministers invited the member states and the Commission to set up a cooperation process on Mental Health and Well-being, “managing the evolution of community-based and socially-inclusive approaches to mental health” (2011). In mental health, recovery may not always refer to the process of complete recovery from a mental health problem such as depression or psychosis, in the way that we might recover from a physical health problem. Recovery can mean different things to different people, however, for many, recovery is about the realization of goals, and the development of relationships and skills that support a positive life, with or without mental health problems. While there is no universally accepted definition of recovery, one definition, often referred to as the “recovery model” argues for the importance of building the resilience of people with mental health problems and supporting their identity and self-esteem.
During the “RECADE” project, we will adopt the strength-based approach that does not focus solely on symptoms and which emphasizes resilience and control over life’s challenges.

Teleconferences, webinars, and TPM meetings will bring together European stakeholders to engage with the project.We will conduct focus groups to discover the needs of psychotic or depressive adults and the degree to which their rights are being respected.
We will bring society’s attention to the issue of recovery of adults with depression or psychosis which are arguably pervasive disorders that affect tens of millions in Europe. This is an opportunity to encourage all member states to raise awareness about recovery and to promote early diagnosis and treatment.

Partners from Greece, Croatia, Italy and Denmark will include people with lived psychotic or depressive experience in their project team. We will create a course entitled “Recovery for Adults with Depression or Psychosis”. The course will be developed in conjunction with all the partners and associated partners including the University of Montreal in Canada, Yale University and the Recovery College in the Netherlands. We want to emphasise that recovery is a capacity-based, not deficit-based, approach to rehabilitation. The output of the RECADE project will be translated into Greek, French, Italian and English. We will upload the content of the Recovery training material on the website www.recade.eu.

In association with social workers, health professionals and adult educators we will conduct interviews and other related modes of inquiry. Those methods will be monitored and evaluated all along the project to suit the real needs of the recovering participants and to promote their effective integration into their communities. An appropriate work will be done with the local network to create a suitable setting for welcoming the participants either during mobilities or, at the end of the project, in their future activities. For this reason, a permanent assessment unit will be constituted from all the partners to follow up on all the cases and share results and potential developments.

The public body from Italy, ASL ROMA 2, will lead the first Intellectual output (IO1). The IO1 will be the Recovery Principles Report for adults with depression or psychosis.
The coordinator from Greece will lead the second Intellectual output (IO2). The IO2 will be a blended training material on recovery for adults with depression or psychosis. All partners will participate and create interactive training material. Blended learning is an approach to education that combines online educational material with traditional or conventional methods (such as learning by physical presence)
The University hospital “Klinika za psihijatriju Vrapce” from Croatia will lead the IO3. The IO3 includes the Lessons from the Recovery process. Short videos ( two per partner) of people discussing their respective experience. Each video will feature one mental health user and one health-care professional or one family member and a researcher talking together and sharing their perspective.

The project RECADE is expected to promote the empowerment of the target group ( recovering adults with depression or psychosis) furthering their social inclusion.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 172835 Eur

Project Coordinator

COMPANY OF PSYCHOSOCIAL RESEARCH AND INTERVENTION (EPSEP) & Country: EL

Project Partners

• Komiteen for Sundhedsoplysning
• Greek Carers Network EPIONI
• ASL ROMA 2
• Klinika za psihijatriju Vrapce