PALERMO (ITALPRESS) – If on Oct. 10, on the occasion of the celebration of World Mental Health Day, all over the planet people talk about Mental Health, in Italy the centrality of the theme from this year will be in Palermo.For the first time ever, in fact, the Tommaso Dragotto Foundation will carry out a massive event, destined to be repeated every Oct. 10 also in the years to come, which brings to public and media attention the theme of mental distress as one of the great ills of modern society. Unlike other pathologies, unfortunately, a very strong distrust persists with regard to this illness, which ghettoizes and alienates those who suffer from problems of the psyche, relegating them to the margins of society with serious consequences not only for the recovery of the subjects themselves, but also for the families who experience in their daily lives the stigma to which they are subjected.The topic, as topical as ever, embraces a broad spectrum of increasingly frequent pathologies: from depression to anxiety, from panic to obsessions, to phobias, to psychosis, without neglecting eating disorders, addictions including affective ones, relational problems, post-traumatic and post-oncological ones, and last but not least, loneliness in its infinite facets.Testifying to the expanded spread of distress is the number of people affected by mental disorders, which has risen in our country to nearly 12 million, and their discrimination in social and labor insertion, which translates into difficulties of inclusion and access to adequate treatment.Suffice it to say that 20 percent of Italians suffer from at least one mental disorder (a figure that exceeds the European average), but only 1 in 3 people affected by such disorders receive adequate medical treatment.Contributing to the difficult situation in Italy are contingent factors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the consequences of the war in Ukraine and Israel, and migration flows, but also the precarious housing conditions for many, or the lack of green spaces. “What we wish to dispel first and foremost is the taboo that affects, with cynicism and distrust, those with mental disorders. Bringing out the problem, bringing to light the complexity and delicacy of the pathology, means helping the whole society to take a step forward towards the dignity and respect that all mentally ill people and their families dutifully deserve,” says Tommaso Dragotto, President of the Foundation of the same name, and continues, “on October 10 we will address the topic from multiple angles: science, theater, dance, cinema, conferences, readings, and much more. A great festival, with free and free admission, to raise awareness and involve the entire city and national public opinion. To support us in this project we have called Progetto Itaca the largest national association that for 25 years has been committed with great results on the Italian territory and through its 17 Local Offices in Italy promotes information, training and support programs aimed at people affected by mental health disorders.”Beppe Barresi, President Progetto Itaca Palermo ODV, says, “For 12 years, Progetto Itaca Palermo Odv has pursued the mission of giving people with mental distress the opportunity to regain relational, work and housing life often denied by the stigma that still accompanies such conditions. Thanks to the commitment of its associates, staff and many volunteers, the association also works on information in the school setting to intercept the onset of mental illness among younger people and provides families with the support and training needed to live naturally with a condition that should no longer be a cause of exclusion. For this reason we have enthusiastically accepted the opportunity to collaborate with the Tommaso Dragotto Foundation in the success of this important initiative, which gives our city the opportunity to be in the forefront of affirming the existence of a different normality, similar to the one that has been achieved in recent years with respect to physical limitations. We therefore thank the Dragotto Foundation for the commitment and sensitivity shown and hope that this will be the beginning of a constructive synergy. “The Mayor of Palermo, Roberto Lagalla states, “Despite the fact that it involves a large segment of the country’s population, the issue of mental health is often ignored and not treated as it should be. For this reason, it is right to turn the spotlight on the topic and its different facets, and the City of Palermo is pleased to support the Tommaso Dragotto Foundation in organizing this event in the city, on the occasion of World Mental Health Day. It is an opportunity to analyze all aspects revolving around mental disorders in order to better understand how to help those affected by the various pathologies and how institutions can make their contribution to cope with diseases that often create cases of marginality. “Italy reserves 3 percent of its health spending for mental health and is 9th in the ranking of the quality of care for mental disorders in Europe.
The presentation was also attended by World Mental Health Day artistic director Casimiro Lieto and full professor of psychiatry at the University of Palermo Daniele La Barbera.
The day will be divided into seven different moments. It begins at 10 a.m. with Scientificamente, an opportunity for experts to exchange views at the Policlinico di Palermo (Ascoli lecture hall); at 11:30 a.m., at Ersu, it’s the turn of Narrativamente, with the representation of mental health in its theatrical and cinematic facets; at 1:30 p.m. it’s the turn of Gustosamente, which will see Villa del Gattopardo serve as the setting for a gastronomic experience centered on the theme: at 4 p.m., with Unexpectedly, a flashmob will be staged at the steps of Teatro Massimo by numerous dance centers and academies in the city; at 5 p.m., at Teatro Bellini, it’s time for Introspectively, with collective reading in the starring role; it continues at 6:30 p.m. with Visually, with the screening at the Rouge et Noir cinema of the film ‘Io sono un po’ matto… E tu?’ in the presence of director Dario D’Ambrosi; in closing, at 9 p.m., there will be Lyrically, with the Teatro Politeama Garibaldi intertwining music, cinema and the presentation of the Tommaso Dragotto Foundation 2024 award.Conception, direction and execution of the project are by Big Mama Production, a major events production company to which the Tommaso Dragotto Foundation has entrusted the task. The day has obtained the Patronage of the Presidency of the Sicilian Region, the Sicilian Regional Assembly, the Sicilian Region Health Department, the Sicilian Region Tourism Sport and Entertainment Department, and the City of Palermo.-photo xd8 Italpress- (ITALPRESS).
Palermo mental health capital, October 10 debates and events
