Select program area OR country

Select program area OR language

The project aims to set up a mechanism for humane provision of services, consonant with the needs of people with mental illness, based on involving the latter in the process of their treatment. Crisis card introduction will guarantee that in case of hospitalization due to psychiatric crisis, not only will the treatment and rehabilitation be accordant with the patient's volition but the social environment of the person in crisis will keep on functioning so as to ensure him/her support in the recovery process.

Many people, who have suffered critical psychiatric conditions, tell that they have experienced difficulty getting efficient and timely help due to lack of information on their illness and treatment and the possibilities of providing adequate help in the event of crisis, particularly when the person is out of the place where s/he lives or works. When having a relapse, a lot of users find it impossible to organize appropriate care for themselves. In these moments they are in dire need of support from their relatives, friends, people whom they trust, people who are aware of the peculiarities of their condition and know what is best in the event of crisis. A crisis card is crucial in such cases because it provides contact information of the "trusted" people, information about the illness and the hitherto treatment and about the so-called "crisis plan", i.e. what should be done when the person suffers psychiatric crisis.

• Establishment of the project's organizational framework; Development and maintenance of a website;
• Production and dissemination of informational materials;
• Lobbying and advocacy for crisis card introduction;
• Training seminars for professionals and groups related to people in a psychiatric crisis;
• Crisis card introduction;
• Mental health forum initiation;
• Work with media;
• Reporting and assessment of the project's progress and results.

• Creating a mechanism of empowering people with mental health problems with regard to their treatment when a psychiatric crisis occurs;
• The related professionals will be trained to develop their skills in dealing with crisis in a humane and non-discriminating way;
• Setting up a procedure for institutional interaction with regard to people suffering a psychiatric crisis, which respects their right to participate in the process of their own treatment;
• Providing information on crisis card mechanism to the general public in an intelligible and lucid way;
• Promoting and publicizing the crisis card model;
• Enhancing knowledge and sensitivity of medical workers and police officers towards the problems of people with mental illness;
• Multiplication of the crisis card model in other municipalities.

After the project ends, crisis card coordination will be carried out by volunteers from the South Western University in Blagoevgrad, with which GIP-Sofia has a contract for a clinical practice base. The method will be already integrated in the working practice of police, Blagoevgrad's Centre for Emergency Medical Help, the Regional Dispensary for mental disorders with an inpatient ward and Day Care Centre for social rehabilitation, which will guarantee sustainability of the project's results. Moreover, having initially set up the infrastructure and contacts, which is a costly process, the Information Center for Mental Health – Blagoevgrad will have the resources, capacity and will to keep on developing the project's activities. Introducing the innovative practice of crisis card will vastly contribute to realizing mental health reform in Bulgaria, in compliance  with the National policy for mental health.