Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

Milan, October 3 2022 – Opening up to the city and involving citizens and stakeholders in a collective reflection on an often overlooked topic, but which has become increasingly important, especially in the last two years. With this objective, the Municipality of Milan promotes "Milano4mentalhealth - There is no health without mental health", a program of around 70 initiatives on mental health, the theme to which the World Day celebrated on 10 October is dedicated.

The initiative is also part of Milan's commitment as a city that holds the national vice presidency of the Healthy Cities Network, the project promoted by the World Health Organization which promotes the role and commitment of Italian municipalities in health promotion policies at a local level.

"We – declares the councilor for Welfare and Health Lamberto Bertolé – think that mental health should not be considered a second-class topic, but that, within our healthcare system, it should have the same protection dedicated to physical health. For psychological well-being to become a right and a priority for everyone, however, it is necessary to make it of interest to everyone. For this reason, starting from this year, we wanted to involve every actor in the field. They actively participate in Milano4mentalhealt2022 the world of the Third Sector, the Milanese universities, the municipalities, and also private individuals, for the construction of a very vast program of initiatives that encourage an open discussion on the topic and an active involvement of citizens, following the transversal message according to which 'not there is health without mental health', with the aim of overcoming the stigma that still affects those who experience a condition of fragility or mental pathology and normalizing the need to take care of one's psychological well-being. This schedule is intended to be a starting point to undertake a discussion that we want to carry forward for the rest of the mandate".

"In recent years – adds Bernardo Dell'Osso, full professor of Psychiatry, director of the Department of Mental Health and Addictions at the ASST Fatebenefratelli-Sacco in Milan and member of the Mental Health Table coordinated by the Municipality of Milan – we have witnessed a significant increase in mental distress and its manifestations for a series of different reasons, among which it is certainly worth remembering not only the effects of the pandemic, but also the increased use of alcohol and narcotics, especially among young people, and, last but not least , the reduced availability of various professional figures working in public services, ideally responsible for the prompt recognition and treatment of various disorders relating to the area of ​​mental health: psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, educators and psychiatric rehabilitation technicians. ATS Agency of Milan, in 2021, approximately 10% of the Milanese population - of which the majority are women (58%) - would have received a diagnosis of a psychiatric condition and had access to the consumption of drugs or services attributable to mental distress. To address such a complex situation, it is important to be able to count on the collaboration of institutions such as the Municipality which are alongside the health services to ensure that attention on these issues remains high at all levels of government".

"It is important – concludes Annalisa Cerri, psychologist, representative of the Third Sector and representative of the coordination of the municipal mental health table – to work to reverse the perspective so that the expression mental health is not considered only in relation to a pathological condition, but is understood in its broader meaning as a condition of well-being to which we can and must all contribute. For this reason we support the value of this initiative so that it increasingly attracts and involves citizens and, for many years, we have actively participated, alongside the Municipality, in its implementation. of events on the occasion of the World Day. To address such an important issue as that of mental health it is essential to create a virtuous synergy between all the actors who deal with it in the area. .

Several appointments will begin this week. Tomorrow, Tuesday 4 October, at 18 pm, at the Casa dei Diritti in via De Amicis there will be a first moment of giving back which will concern AccogliMI, the project dedicated to girls and boys between 30 and 14 years old and their families with the aim of offering psychological guidance. A review will be made of the first results of the experimentation in the presence of the Third Sector partners who carried out the project on behalf of the municipal administration.

On Thursday 6 October at 18pm the Municipality is proposing a webinar to promote a reflection on the impact that mental distress has on people's lives and on the construction of their life plan. A discussion that will feature people who have faced or are facing a moment of mental fragility, family members, healthcare professionals, third sector workers who deal with this issue and members of the municipal mental health table. It will be possible to follow the live streaming by tuning in In common the WebTvRadio of the Municipality of Milan. 

Also on October 6, at 10 am, in the council room of Municipality 30, the presentation of #outoftheblack, the awareness campaign on depression by The Bridge Foundation, will be held, which features the street artist Lucamaleonte with an inspired work of art to the concept of rebirth, symbol of the possibility of emerging from the tunnel of depression and the importance of combating stigma. The work is visible in front of the entrance to the Bonola stop on the M8.

On Friday 7 October the appointment is at 14pm at the University of Milan, in via Festa del Perdono, for a meeting entitled "Getting out of discomfort. The university and local institutions in support of health and well-being psychology of the student population", a moment in which, among others, the councilor for Welfare and health Lamberto Bertolé, the councilor for Education of the Lombardy Region Fabrizio Sala and the vice-rector of the University Gian Vincenzo Zuccotti will participate. During the meeting, the results of the survey carried out by the State University on the psychological well-being of university students will be presented.

To participate you must register.

Municipalities also take part in the week's events: on the weekend of 8 and 9 October there were numerous initiatives from Municipality 1 through its CAMs.

On Sunday 9 October at 17pm, at the House of Associations and Volunteering in Via Saponaro 30, Municipio 20 will present, together with the Fare Insieme association, "Words and music in the Gratosoglio neighborhood for better mental health", activities and workshops created to the citizens of the Municipality; at 5 pm the online initiative will take place organized by Jonas Onlus entitled "What does psychoanalysis mean by mental health? A word from the therapists of Jonas, Telemaco and Gianburrasca" which will be possible to follow through the social pages of the participating associations.

Monday 10 October, on the occasion of World Mental Health Day, the central event of the schedule: from 14pm, at the Catella Foundation in via De Castillia 28, within BAM, the Administration promotes a series of moments of reflection that protagonists will be the associations, bodies and institutions that deal with mental health and care in the Milan area every day. A day of discussion and comparison with exhibitions, theatrical initiatives, music and insights with experts from different professional fields, aimed at operators and, above all, citizens.

Among the initiatives, the following talks are worth mentioning:

• at 18pm "Do you see me? - Adolescence and mental health: how to recognize alarm bells and build shared strategies", in which the themes of isolation, aggression, changes in weight or eating habits will be explored , hikikomori, the role of school and family;
• at 18pm, the meeting "How are you? - How our language impacts the way we feel" during which the deputy director of the Post Francesco Costa, the psychotherapist Serena Barbieri and Isabel Gangitano, content manager and author of the podcast Le Basi , they will discuss how words make a difference, especially when talking about emotions;
• at 19pm it will be time for the debate "Be seen by a good person! - Overcoming the stigma and finding your way around the help paths".

At the same time, throughout the afternoon, it will be possible to visit the "Arte in testa" exhibition at the Stecca degli artisans, inside the Biblioteca degli Alberi park, an exhibition of works created by people with psychological fragility problems followed by the member associations of the roundtable on mental health coordinated by the Municipality of Milan.

Other initiatives will focus on the 10th: the Mental Health Tram will travel through Milan to meet citizens and bring its message against stigma to the stops. The departure is scheduled for 14pm in Piazza Fontana, with stops in Piazza VI February (45pm) and Piazza Castello (15pm). The initiative is part of the "Visible City" project organized by the Municipality of Milan and the ASST Fatebenefratello Sacco.

The events will continue after World Mental Health Day. On Saturday 15 October, at 16 pm, at Casa Jannacci, the meeting entitled "Enzo Jannacci and Fabrizio De Andrè: the same existential suburbs" will be held, a musical memory and testimonies on two artists who have provided fundamental elements for reflection on existential and psychological distress.

On October 16th, at 16pm, the Amici della mente association and the Monkey Monkeis company will stage "Folia" at the Guanella theatre, a theatrical show on the fascinating and complex world of madness, expressed through its female faces.

Finally, on the occasion of World Mental Health Day on 10 October, Mama chat, an association for psychological well-being and women's rights, will launch a new social campaign to support the importance of overcoming stigma - which often prevents the request for help from those who are experiencing a condition of psychological distress - and address the issue of mental health as well as physical health, without hiding or being afraid of being judged.

Il complete program of the initiatives is available on the website of the Municipality of Milan.