S.O.P.S.I. Aims
S.O.P.S.I. was founded in 1993 with the help and support of the A’ Psychiatric Clinic of the National and Kapodestrian University of Athens, Aeginition Hospital. It is a non-profit organization whose members are families and relatives of people with mental disorders. The Association Board consists of the following members:President: F. Loli, Vice President: G. Papagiannopoulos, Cashier: P. (Vivianne) Glarou, Secretary: A. Dimitrakopoulou. Members: E. Vasilakou, A. Giannetopoulou and S. Papageorgiou. Moreover, the Scientific Committee consists of the following members: Professor Marina Oikonomou, Medical School of National and Kapodestrian University of Athens (Aeginition Hospital), Professor A. Douzenis, Medical School of National and Kapodestrian University of Athens (Attikon Hospital) and finally, Professor D. Ploumpidis, Medical School of National and Kapodestrian University of Athens (Aeginition Hospital). Today SOPSI has approximately 1000 members.
The main aims of S.O.P.S.I. are to: a) provide solidarity and support to its members and up-to-date information on mental illness and its contemporary treatment b) protect and support patients with mental disorders and their families and c) increase society’s awareness, sensitize the public, decrease stigma and abolish discrimination while developing and promoting a positive image for people who suffer from serious mental disorders.
For the accomplishment of the above mentioned objectives S.O.P.S.I. does the following: a) issues informative leaflets, b) organizes events, lectures,
conferences, c) contributes in spending free time valuably, d) issues the magazine “Minimata” every three months (2500 copies) and e) offers every year
two support groups for relatives every Monday and Wednesday afternoon from October to June. Also, it offers two psychoeducation groups for its members,
one for schizophrenia and one for bipolar disorder and young mental health professionals are attending the specific group sessions.
These group sessions are highly important for S.O.P.S.I’. s members, since, as it is well known, the family is the one that mainly supports and takes care
of the patient in Greece. Therefore, the family is in great need for proper and responsible information, training and support, in order to carry the burden
and encounter all the problems and difficulties that might arise from the patient and the illness. In these groups members discuss the various problems
being faced by their families, where members are given the opportunity to form close, meaningful relationships with each other, something which is of great
importance since, unfortunately, there is great stigma surrounding mental illness. The formation of groups of people sharing the same worries allows for
the development of new relationships and provides courage and strength for the confrontation and dealing with the problem.
The members of the Association are individuals or legal entities who fall into the following categories: a) members of families with mental problems, b)
people who work in the field of mental health and c) individuals and legal entities who are not members or unions of families with mental problems, who
wish to cooperate or to offer economic, material, or voluntary work to the Association.
S.O.P.S.I. cooperates with the following international organizations: 1) European Federation of Association of Families of People with Mental Illness (EUFAM), 2) Global Alliance of Mental Illness Advocacy Networks (GAMIAN), 3) World Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation (WAPR), 4) World Health Organization (WHO), 5) National Confederation of Disabled People (NCDP), 6) Pan-Hellenic Federation of Societies of Parents and Guardians of Disabled People (POSGAMEA), 7) The Pasteur Institute, 8) The Council of Vironas – Kaisariani and 9) The Ministry of Health and Welfare of Greece.