With great success and strong participation, the 7th Panagiotis Sakellaropoulos Forum – Dialogues on Social Psychiatry and Mental Health was successfully concluded, under the theme “The Art of Peer Support in Recovery”. For the first time in Greece, people with lived experience of mental health difficulties co-organized and participated on equal terms in a scientific event, placing their voices at the center of the public discussion on mental health.
The Forum was organized by the Panagiotis Sakellaropoulos Society of Social Psychiatry (PSSP – EKΨ P. Sakellaropoulos) and took place in collaboration with the organizations PEPSSAEE, EPAPSY, the Self-Advocacy Association, K.S.D.E.O. EDRA, and the Social Cooperative “Ev Zin,” creating an open space for dialogue, exchange, and collective action.
Strong presence of institutional and scientific stakeholders
The event was honored by the presence and welcoming addresses of: the Deputy Regional Governor for Health, Mr. Thanos Askitis, the Governor of the Korgialenio–Benakio Hospital of the Hellenic Red Cross, Mr. Anastasios Karandreas, the Director of the Psychiatric Clinic of the Korgialenio–Benakio Hospital of the Hellenic Red Cross, Mr. Georgios Charitakis, the President of PSSP, Ms. Athina Fragkouli Sakellaropoulou, the President of the ARGO Federation and PEPSSAEE, Mr. Menelaos Theodoroulakis; the President of EPAPSY, Mr. Dimitris Galanis, the President of the Self-Advocacy Association, Ms. Georgia Mylonaki, and the President of K.S.D.E.O. EDRA, Ms. Maria Kerasoglou.
A large number of mental health professionals and mental health service users also attended. Their contributions highlighted the importance of the community-based approach, inter-organizational collaboration, and the meaningful participation of service users themselves in shaping mental health policies and practices.
A landmark Forum: “Service users’ voices at the forefront”
Throughout the two-day event, interactive workshops, presentations, experiential activities, and keynote contributions by numerous scientists and mental health professionals were held. At the core of the Forum, however, was the equal participation of mental health service users, who played an active role as speakers, co-creators, and co-producers of knowledge.
For the first time, people with lived experience were given the space, the platform, and the support for their voices to be heard—authentic, powerful, and invaluable. Their contribution made the Forum a genuine act of social reform.
As stated by the President of PSSP, Athina Fragkouli Sakellaropoulou:
“With this Forum, we are adding yet another stone to the psychiatric reform. Every person’s experience has value and a voice. Peer support is the art of acceptance, hope, and mutual support.”
A Forum that changes the landscape
The 7th Forum was not merely a scientific meeting, but a deeply human and dynamic experience. It brought together professionals, service users, carers, and citizens, highlighting the power of community and collaboration as the foundations of psychiatric reform and social change.
