Balkan Beats A BIMONTHLY MAGAZINE BY THE VOLUNTEERS OF THE UNITED SOCIETIES OF BALKANS ReachingOUT # 41 PRESSFREE
www.balkanhotspot.org
“Mental health has never been a topic easy to discuss or analyze. It is a complex, unpre dictable, and multifaceted field, which we are exploring and trying to decode to this day.
The effort of maintaining or retrieving the balance of mental health is a difficult, per sonal struggle. Finding your inner peace or your mental full ness can be time-consuming, and sometimes disappointing, but this whole process can be come much easier once you decide to reach out. Reaching out for help, support, and pro fessional guidance is the key success factor, as this journey is demanding and hard. How ever, in a society full of stereotypes, ready to jump to baseless conclusions, criticize and isolate anything that deviates from the norm, finding the courage to reach out for help is not an easy case. It can be challenging. Challenging because, first of all, you have to face the truth. To ac cept that you have an issue to solve, a fight to give, and the possibility of failure is always present. You might feel vulnera ble and inferior to others, even to the people willing to help you. The decision to name this magazine “Reaching Out” is a prompt to any one who has doubts about asking for help, for fear of criticism, to prioritize themselves and their mental health, aim for the best, and start healing.
Reaching Out 02 Editorial
The 41st Edition
A team of young people from all around Eu rope gathered in Thessaloniki and, in collab oration with the United Societies of Balkans and the Psychiatric Hospital of Stavroupoli, began the project “Green Your Mind: Health for Us and for the Earth”, with the purpose of offering help to those struggling with their mental health, their addictions, and their own selves. Two months full of work, new expe riences, struggles, and joyful moments. This magazine is their creation, and it is dedicated to everyone fighting for their peace of mind.
This magazine is distributed free of charge.
The Balkans and Eastern Europe are geograph ical regions with many cultural features which offer a broad spectrum of actions and youth involvement initiatives. The organization was created as a response to the pressure of con stant changes in the Balkan and Eastern Euro pean region and under the need for the creation of a better social environment.
Key areas of the organization’s activities con cern the defense of human rights, the organiza tion of youth exchanges and training courses, which will bring young people from Balkans and Europe together, the organization of local educa tional seminars and multimedia production. by Aekaterini Leivaditi
Balkan Beats, a part of Balkan Hotspot Balkan Hotspot is the EVS (European Volun tary Service) project of “United Societies of Bal kans”, a NGO founded in Thessaloniki in 2008 by a team of active young people.
• To locate and multiply the special cultural attributes of our societies.
UNITED SOCIETIES OF BALKANS, NGO 8, Delmouzou str., Thessaloniki Tel./Fax: +30 2310 215 629 | www.usbngo.gr © Gianluca Capozzo “Reaching Out”
Contents Special GREEN YOUR PROJECTMIND 04 The people behind the project Volunteer Life EXPERIENCESDIFFERENT 10 The effects of hometown volunteering 13 Anagnostara’s Red Book 16 Volunteering Abroad, Importance of Reaching Out 19 Helping others helps you: 8 benefits of volunteering Local Life LOCAL PERSPECTIVES 22 Differentiation: the key to Self-Awareness and our Mental Health 25 Family and Mental Health 28 Living with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) 32 Social Media and Mental Health Out Of BordersThe MENTALABROADHEALTH 34 A brief insight into the mental health services in Finland Mix Fix HEALING ART 37 Art as a form of reaching out 41 Thessaloniki Diaries 45 Illness
Main goals of the organization
• The break down of prejudices and stereo- types between Bal kan countries. Property of Balkan Beats The United Societies of Balkans, NGO, does not necessarily share the opinions expressed in Balkan Beats. It is illegal to reproduce any part of this publication without referring to the source.
United Societies of Balkans is a Non Governmental Organi zation, founded in Thessaloniki in 2008, by a team of active young people. The organization was created as a response to the pressure of constant changes in the Balkan and East ern European region and under the need for the creation of a better social environment. Key areas of the organization’s activities concern the defense of human rights, the organiza tion of youth exchanges and training courses, which will bring young people from Balkans and Europe together, the organiza tion of local educational seminars and multimedia production (webradio, videos, documentaries).
• To build healthy cooperation bridges between countries of the Balkan area and that of Eastern Europe with the rest of Europe.
• To promote the values of non formal le- aring,volunteering, active citizenship and democracy for the creation of a better future for European youth.
• To promote human rights, solidarity and respect for diversity.
03 Contents
This volunteering Program was a challenge and a first acquaintance with the concept of voluntary help. I signed up for the program be cause I would really like to help in my own way people who need help. I also wanted to meet people with different cultures and from all over the world and finally spend part of my summer more creatively. And that’s exactly what it was, a beautiful memory, full of experiences.
Alexandra Kontou 19 years old Greece
The people behind the project
I am a psychology student and I joined for the second year the ECS project in the psychiatric hospital in Thessaloniki. The reason I partici pated in the project at the beginning was the interest I found in this. I wanted to participate in a project as a local volunteer and I selected the psychiatric hospital because it’s related to my studies as a psychologist. Also, I wanted to join in a summer project as a volunteer to spend quality time while I was on a summer break. Then, I found out that I liked the idea of being a local volunteer, and the next summer I was really excited to join the same project in the psychiatric hospital with different tasks and different people. The gaining of volunteer ing in this project is huge because not only did I acquire skills that I didn’t expect but also I interact with many people and I listen to their stories, which is very interesting.
Afroditi Zafeiraki 22 years old Greece
04 Special G REEN Y OUR M IND P ROJECT
G REEN Y OUR M IND P ROJECT 05 Special
Eleftheria Tsirigoti 31 years old Greece
The reason I chose to participate in this proj ect was because art, and especially writing, is something that’s very close to me and I enjoy the creative process. Also, it’s really interesting for me how the restrictions and difficulties of various artists made them create such big art pieces we still know and recognize to this day.
There were two main reasons for me to join this program. First of all, I thought that it could be very helpful for me to socialize with foreign people. Second, I wanted to gain a brand new experience!
Eleftheria Kokkinidou 21 years old Greece
I chose to participate in this program because I wanted to experience something new. This is my first-time doing volunteering activities, I am inspired by nature and it is beneficial to my spiritual and mental balance. Gabriel Emilio Rivera Gallegos 29 years old Greece
I’m a volunteer from Greece, currently based in Thessaloniki. I chose to participate in this vol unteering project because I found it interesting, and I would gain a lot of experiences while wid ening my mind and my soul.
G REEN Y OUR M IND P ROJECT 06 Special
Gianluca Capozzo 24 years old Italy
Isidora Arabatzi 24 years old Greece
This is my first volunteering experience, and the reason I chose this program was the practi cal approach of the whole project. The propos al to work in the agricultural unit of a psychi atric hospital turned out to be very interesting from the first moment, and with time passed I can say that it was a very formative and authentic experience.
Gonçalo Januário 22 years old Portugal I chose to participate in this project because the topic resonated with me on a personal lev el. I’ve had mental health issues in the past and I also have family members who had the same problems and even dealt with substance abuse. Therefore, I felt like it would be some thing good for me to be involved in.
Kaiti Leivaditi 21 years old Greece As a student of journalism, I decided to partici pate in this project for multiple reasons. First of all, I would like to give voice to everyone strug gling with their mental health or their addic tion, to open up about their life and share their journeys. Also, I would like to contribute to the elimination of stigma and stereotypes around these conditions and show their true side with out filters or exaggerations. Another aspect of the program that piqued my interest was the mixing of people of different nationalities and backgrounds.
Let’s accept that the “home-work-home” rou tine is kind of boring when you have the op portunity to have the extra cool “home – vol unteering – another volunteering – traveling – meeting new people – partying – learning new things – experiencing new emotions – vol unteering again – returning to your extra cool home” routine. I just chose 2nd option, that’s it. And I found out about the “Green your mind” project. In my country, everyone is escaping from talking about mental health and the so cialization of people who have some addictions or mental health problems. This approach is re ally bad, so I came here to face it, talk about it, help somehow, and green my mind.
Nelly Khachatryan 23 years old Armenia
G REEN Y OUR M IND P ROJECT 07 Special
Also, this is the first time that I am abroad, and it’s a bit challenging for me, to meet new people, new culture, and communicate in En glish, but I am happy that I come here, out of my comfort zone, and now I can say, that this project becomes my new comfort zone.
Syuzanna Grigorian 26 years old Armenia
I wanted to gain new experience, break down prejudices and stereotypes among the Europe ans and help someone in need.
Salome Chochua 23 years old Georgia
G REEN Y OUR M IND P ROJECT 08 Special
Nikolozi Patsulaia 20 years old Georgia
The main reason I chose to participate in this program is to help people who had hard times in their lives. Also, I needed to develop myself, get out of my comfort zone, to do something different in my life. This project helped me gain new experiences and connect with new people from all around the world.
I am doing monitoring in my country at a psychiatric hospital and of course, I was excited when I heard about this program. I could see and experience how hospitals are working in Greece, plus I could be involved somehow in activities.
My main reason to come to Thessaloniki to do the volunteering was to connect nature and social work. I feel humbler and more fulfilled when I am able to dedicate my time to a valu able cause. I also wanted to connect with Greek culture and the way of life, which I knew to be different from Finland. I wanted this project to pave the way for better personal development, and bring a small improvement to the society of Thessaloniki.
Valeria Paluan 21 years old Italy
I decided to join the “Green your mind” program because I wanted to be more social and I thought it would be a unique experience to step out of my comfort zone and broaden my horizons.
I participate in this project because I want to offer something during my free time. I have ex perience as a photographer and as an editor as well, so it seemed like a great chance to learn new things while meeting deadlines and re quirements of actual working conditions. Other important factors were the enrichment of my portfolio and my CV.
G REEN Y OUR M IND P ROJECT 09 Special
Vaso Arkoumani 21 years old Greece
Venni Metsäranta 28 years old Finland
10 Volunteer Life D IFFERENT EXPERIENCES
The effects of hometown volunteering by Afroditi Zafeiraki
The benefits of volunteering in all age groups are widely known. Of course, helping others can only offer good feelings and gains are several. Europe offers many opportunities for young people to travel abroad and take part in different volunteering projects, as this is a way for youth to start their work experience and find what they like to do. Volunteering abroad also gives people the chance to meet different cul tures, learn new languages and connect with new people. This process is also effective in the well-being of people when volunteering im proves our self-esteem and gives us feelings of being useful in many sectors. But what hap pens when someone volunteers in their home town? Does the volunteer experience feel the
11 D IFFERENT EXPERIENCES Volunteer Life
same? And how does this affect the mental health of a local?
My personal exerience includes local volun teering and mostly working with people from other countries for projects in Thessaloniki.
The reason for referring to these projects of lo cal volunteering is because, personally, I have seen improvement in my life since I started. At first, I was volunteering in a summer camp as a team leader. That process of me being the head of a group of people made me feel inde pendent and confident and let my insecurities outside of that camp. It was my first working experience in a safe place where I only had to deal with the children. Then I was helping my mum, and an organized group that she was a member of, while she was collecting food from supermarkets and sharing it with our neighbors who needed for. That different experience gave me the feeling of being useful and important to others. Then, I founded ECS programs, and I participated in a project in the psychiatric hos pital of Thessaloniki, which happens to be lo cated really close to my house. I had the oppor tunity to enter and work in a place where I was wondering for many years what happens inside of it, how they work, which are their methods,
Personally, I really enjoy local volunteering be cause I never get tired of it. I live in my house, and I have my everyday routine and I live volun teering experiences between that. This process refreshes me and makes me feel productive and active. The truth is that you don’t have a lot of free time left but you live unique experienc es in your everyday life that makes you a full person and a mature adult. Definitely recom mended to everyone who has the will to help, to explore. The sure thing is that this process which requires energy and time improves peo ple’s mental health and self-esteem. What are you waiting for, locals?
Having worked for some time as a local vol unteer, I realized that many benefits cannot be found in experiences volunteering in other countries. First of all, there is a feeling of doing something good for your neighbor, town, your country in general. You can also connect with people because with many of them you don’t lose touch, so you see their improvement and the impact of your work. Also, if you work with people from other countries, you have the op portunity to help them with practical issues, but also to guide them to join the best places and events in town. This way you also get bud dy skills because you put yourself in a place to think of activities and things for others to do. As a local, you also have the responsibility sometimes to be the translator for everyone. Of course, this way the language part is getting really improved.
and how I, as a psychologist, could ever have access to work there.
12 D IFFERENT EXPERIENCESVolunteer Life
Do you know the Red Book, the one, where are included all creatures, that are rare or are one of its kind, the one, where each page is starting with “Dear Anagnostarians…” (or hello malak as). Or in other words the volunteers book of Anagnostara’s family, where each volunteer is writing before leaving the house. As I mentioned it’s a book about rare creatures, all unique and different from each other. If you want, we can explore them a bit. Let’s start with Venera and Georgina. First two authors of the book. Hello from 2022 if you read this. From Venera we can see some advice on what not to do and from Georgina what to do here. I really liked the parts when volunteers are giving advice to future USB members. Carol from Estonia wrote a whole essay about it, 10 things to do, it was cool to read. While explor ing the book I started to search and read only the parts when they are giving advice. I wanted to do it all, I thought I found some treasure full of secrets, most of them included somethings like travel a lot, learn Greek, party a lot, take ev ery opportunity, don’t waste time, and in some point I started to feel anxious, I found out about the book one month after coming to the house, so I started feeling like I did everything wrong, I felt like I wasted my one month, I wanted to start from the beginning. Then reached Samrah’s and Lauras page (thanks for that). They comforted me some how. Samrah wrote, that we are all different and we are not living things in the same way. It was something I started thinking about. After
13 D IFFERENT EXPERIENCES Volunteer Life
Anagnostara’s Red Book by Nelli Khachatryan
this I started to notice writings with no advices and suggestions, the one where Gaelle wrote how shy she was, the one where Zosia wrote upside down because this experience turned her life upside down, one where (I couldn’t read the name) Part of the brain was missing, one where people shared how difficult sometimes were here.
Don’t force yourself, if you don’t want to speak, that’s because you are that kind of person. If you chose to stay home that night rather than joining some activities, don’t blame him/her now, he/ she has reasons that time. Just enjoy yourself.
It’s all because we are in a red book, you remember? We are different. If you don’t like partying- no need, if you are more comfortable to eat alone, eat alone, if one person is enough, don’t force yourself
14 D IFFERENT EXPERIENCESVolunteer Life
15 D IFFERENT EXPERIENCES Volunteer Life
It is not so easy to change the environment you are living in. Even moving from one flat to another in your own hometown could be a struggle. Not to mention changing countries.
16 D IFFERENT EXPERIENCESVolunteer Life
portant to realize the challenges one may face during the experience abroad.
by Salome Chochua
What challenges can a volunteer face in a new environment-importance of reaching out and working on the issues
Having all the possibilities to improve and develop yourself during volunteering, it’s im
Helping communities in need without anything in return, but actually getting so many advan tages also for yourself, is one of the most es sential profits of volunteering. Especially when it comes to volunteering abroad. It strengthens solidarity between nations. During that expe rience, without even realizing it a person can expose themself to diversity; They can develop cultural awareness and open-mindedness; Gain enormous growth in confidence and indepen dence and recognize a sense of achievement.
VolunteeringImportanceAbroad,ofReachingOut
Totally new surroundings, new people - no one that you know, different culture, different food, weather… This is the challenge one can
Doing volunteer work has such a big list of benefits, that to talk about all of them even in a huge book wouldn’t be enough.
face either on the first days or a little bit later after feeling “homesick”. People may not take it too seriously, but it can actually have a huge influence on your mental health. Usually, it is always like this: small, “unimportant” things to gether create a big struggle that affects your well-being and mental health.
17 D IFFERENT EXPERIENCES Volunteer Life
To remember my first days during my volun teering here, in Thessaloniki, I was a little bit lost. I arrived at the house of 30 people, leav ing as a family. I was exhausted because of my flight, but at the same time, I didn’t want to miss the chance to meet them all and some how try to enter the family. Despite that every one was nice and friendly, I couldn’t help myself not to get anxious. I decided to ask questions to overcome my anxiety and shyness. “Where is the closest supermarket?” “How can I get to the beach?” Those basic questions were the key to my survival. Seeing people eager to help with everything needed made me feel safe. Day by day I felt closer to the environment and the “new life”. Starting from small details, like Team building Team building
18 D IFFERENT EXPERIENCESVolunteer Life
giving a net for mosquitoes or helping with the washing machine, ending with deep talks with a mentor or another volunteer was essential for my stay. Before, my weakest point has always been asking for help. I don’t know if it was be cause I was shy or I thought people should of fer help and me asking them is just annoying. But thinking like that was one of my biggest mistakes. Without reaching out and saying what you actually need it is hard for someone to know. Especially when there are so many cultural differences. Also at the workspace, if I didn’t feel comfortable with one task, I could always go to the coordinator or supervisor and tell them about it. They would change my task or show me an easier way to do it without any concerns. After realizing all the people around me hold me back, I felt safe and calm. It helped me spend the time joyfully and take the best from the experience. That’s why it is crucial to reach out. During vol unteering abroad, usually, there are many peo ple to help. Mentor, project coordinator, “Bud dy” or some other volunteers. It is important to speak up about your concerns, struggles, and worries. It may seem hard in the beginning. You don’t know those people and it is even harder to open up. But the small things that may bother you can be easily solved, or there can be other ways to overcome the challenge. Realizing you are not the only one and people have been deal ing with similar issues is helping a lot. Having someone to rely on is giving a piece of mind. Reach out, speak up, and don’t be scared or ashamed of your concerns. It feels better, it works better, and it makes the volunteering ex perience easier, and better! Mentoring meetings.
Volunteering is an activity that can make a difference, not only for others but also for yourself. People volunteer for several reasons. Some are willing to connect with the commu nity or to support a cause they believe in and take care of. Many people see that as an oppor tunity to devote themselves to others or to be involved in something bigger than themselves. Studies about the impact volunteering have on the volunteer recommend another reason to do that: mental and physical health benefits. New research suggests that volunteering not only helps the causes and people that nonprof its support but also helps the volunteer. Volun teering can make people feel good and have long-lasting health effects.
Here are 8 proven benefits of volunteering. Maybe one of them will convince you to roll up your sleeves and put yourself out in the game.
Helping others helps you: 8 benefits of volunteering by Valeria Paluan
19 D IFFERENT EXPERIENCES Volunteer Life
1. Volunteering gives you a sense of purpose. You may be able to find your purpose through volunteering and taking part in something you can learn from. This is particularly valuable for those who are retired, unemployed, or have lost a loved one: in fact, helping others can help
20 D IFFERENT EXPERIENCESVolunteer Life
2. Volunteering builds connections. One of the best ways to build community and connections is by sharing a common goal together. Vol unteering is a great occasion to develop new friendships as well as strengthen existing rela tionships with friends, family, or coworkers. As a volunteer, you will usually interact with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures, which allows you to open your mind and learn other points of view.
you in keeping your mind busy and finding new meaning in your life.
3. Volunteering increases your social skills. Volunteering is a great way to interact with people and sharpen your social skills. In fact, while some people are naturally extroverted and outgoing, others are shy and have difficul ties meeting new people. But by spending a lot of time working with others, you have the op portunity to practice, even develop, your social
21 D IFFERENT EXPERIENCES Volunteer Life
skills, since you are “forced” to deal with differ ent people with their own unique characteristics.
4. Volunteering improves self-esteem. Volun teers often feel accomplished when they help others. As a result, when they do something they feel is valuable and relevant to someone, it makes them feel more fulfilled about their life and any future goals.
5. Volunteering reduces stress Volunteering can diminish stress and the risk of diseases. Thanks to the time spent serving others, you feel a sense of appreciation and gratitude, both given and received, which can have the effect of distracting from personal problems and making you feel more relaxed and satisfied.
7. Volunteering gets you out of your comfort zone. Through volunteer work, you may over come the personal challenges of leaving your comfort zone and doing something new with people you may not know. During the experi ence, you may also interface with various prob lems that, in order to be solved, require you to exercise critical thinking and common sense.
8. Volunteering teaches you to say “thank you“. One of the best gifts about volunteering is that it makes you realize how lucky you are com pared to other people. It changes your perspec tive: you will understand what really matters in life, what is worth worrying about and you will live more simply and authentically. Isn’t that enough?
6. Volunteering teaches you significant skills. Volunteering can be the ideal way to find out what we are really good at and develop new skills as well as build upon ones you already have. Obviously, these skills can then be used for the rest of your life, at work, school, or in any other field.
Differentiation is a great concept and, as I will describe below, the differentiated human seems to be the “perfect” human, although the perfect does not exist in life. To be precise, this is an authentic, balanced, and mentally healthy person. This explains why differentiation is perhaps the most important long-term goal in psychotherapy – a goal that we conquer step by step. When we talk about differentiation, we are essentially referring to one thing, but it has many ramifications on who we are in general: differentiation from our family of origin. Differentiation, and its opposite, fusion, is about the extent to which we can feel differently, think differently, have different opinions, and make substantively, not superficially or reactively, dif ferent choices than the family that brought us in the world or from the parent with whom we are closest. It has to do with how much we have shed burdensome – and ultimately inappropri ate – feelings and thoughts (e.g. unnecessary stress and fears) that we have inherited from our family, dysfunctional patterns and ways of interacting, and an emotional over-involvement with others, our own people, which ends up tor turing us, many times without us realizing it.
22 Local Life LOCAL PERSPECTIVES
Differentiation is the ability to be me, with as little influence as possible from the opinions or reactions of others. It’s more about a constant striving for balance than a goal that can ever be 100% achieved. This goal becomes extremely difficult in the Greek family, as the “different” or healthy emotional distance is often accompa nied by great guilt on the part of the child - and the later adult - towards the parent. Of course, this guilt is built from the parent to the child consciously or unconsciously in various ways.
by Eleftheria Tsirigoti
Differentiation: the key to Self-Awareness and our Mental Health
When the parent is quite demanding or con trolling and demands, in his own way, the child’s compliance with what he wants for/from him or when he takes the child on his side, mak ing him a participant in all the problems he has with his partner ( and the child’s other parent) or when the child feels that the parent is quite weak or when the parent constantly emphasiz es to the child how much he sacrificed for him, all of the above lead quite easily to the child’s guilt and merging with the parent. As a result of the above, he is an undifferentiated person, or otherwise pseudo-self, who has low self-aware ness. Although we may think we know clear ly who we are, we ultimately have many blind spots, inner conflicts, and contradictions that we often don’t realize. Often what we think or feel (even if we are aware of it) is very different from what we ex press or do. We may also either underestimate or overestimate ourselves and operate by many rules and high expectations of others. An undif ferentiated person usually simply reacts to his environment and may sacrifice his individuality for the sake of unity, emotional closeness, ac ceptance, and approval from others. In these cases, the need for closeness and the need for
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So, I either merge with the other or avoid close relationships because I experience them as threatening – that I will be “sucked up”, op pressed and I will lose my individuality. More over, when there is a lack of differentiation, the truth is not the facts themselves but our inner emotional state, i.e. our anxiety or fears about the present and the future. Anxiety is our emo tional response to a real or imagined danger. Our reactions can be momentary or chronic. Chronic stress is mainly related to imagined or expected risks and increases when the degree of differentiation is low. Chronic fears are there fore always inherited from our family, whether we realize it at first or not, and are passed on to the family we create. Humans usually exhibit unpleasant symptoms when the degree of dif ferentiation is low. In contrast, the differentiated person, or whole self, possesses considerable self-awareness and, for this very reason, is able to evaluate himself more realistically. If I am able to as sess myself more realistically, I have, by exten sion, more realistic expectations of myself, but also others, without making extreme actions. Diversified is a cool and responsible person in his life. She/He is the one who knows his re sponsibilities towards others but without be ing overly responsible for them. The latter is a big issue, which we usually don’t realize when we are involved in intimate relationships. We often assume for our own people much more responsibility for their lives than we do. High differentiation means being authentic with my self, knowing clearly what I want and need, and being able to set boundaries for myself and others. The differentiated person combines the ability to think logically with the ability to stay in touch with his feelings and express them. The more diverse I am, the more – paradox ically – I am able to engage closely with oth ers, without merging with them and renouncing who I am. Differentiated people also respond better to stressful life situations. So what about the cases of people who are not partic ularly differentiated? The only solution is to work with ourselves. Psychotherapy reduces chronic anxiety and inherited fears, which cause various symptoms and prompt us to repeat traumatic situations. Before this happens, of course, we will expe rience, during treatment, momentary anxiety which is inevitable in our attempt to define ourselves about significant others. Momentary stress has much less harmful effects on our bodies than chronic stress. On the other hand, psychotherapy directs or causes the emer gence of our true selves and interrupts the transmission of dysfunctional traits, patterns, and behaviors from one generation to the next.
individuality is experienced in a conflicting way that does not allow for both to coexist.
LOCAL PERSPECTIVES 24 Local Life
Although the generations, during the past years are always growing in and out, most of the adults that have kids with mental illness are the main suspects of her deterioration. Par ents are afraid of facing that common “demon”. Most of the time, according to university stud ies, parents tend to reject their children, mock them, or in some situations, do not give them any attention at all, which leads to inappropri ate behaviors. Children feel that they are inca pable of being alive (which leads to suicide or more depression) and do not have the will to take their medication. They are obliged to fol low inadequate treatments such as electrother apy, and heavy doses of placebo medicines.
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-Mum, dad I need help! - Nah... you’re fine, you have everything! Usually nowadays, when someone hears the phrase “healthy person” immediately under stands that there is a healthy person, without any organic illness or physical damage. How ever, health is associated with mental health as well. For decades mental health is an enor mous taboo that remains an unsolved problem. 1 of 10 adults still suffers from mental illness but also 1 child of 5 has mental health disease. How does mental health affect the members of the family? A lot of scientific articles show that the routine and the everyday schedule of a family changes profoundly. For example, especially when the children are young, the affection is much more because on their own cannot handle their cri sis, they are not able even to understand the reasons why their behavior changes. So, par ents are responsible for giving the right medi cations and accepting all the crises, the nerves, the pain, and the absurd thoughts/ actions. The level of stress is huge as well as the half-knowl edge of mental illnesses. More and more fights between the parents, and misunderstandings between parents- children are the least of the situations that are caused by mental health.
Especially the young people who had illnesses
Family and Mental Health
by Isidora Arampatzi
such as schizophrenia, manic tendencies or paranoia, used to be in a terrible clinical image due to the uninterested parents and doctors! How does society affect mental health? Another thing that could be interesting to speak about is the stigma. Not only children but also a great number of young adults are wor ried about their mental issues and how society will understand their problems. Is known that in many countries in Europe and Asia society treats mentally ill people like aliens, heartless, and mean. They make them feel unwanted, un loved, and useless. These feelings are the most painful of all and cannot be controlled.
More and more people are closed to them selves, do not go to psychologists or psychia trists, try to find solutions inappropriate for their condition, or take medicines that make them worse. The feelings of fear and shame, are 2 of the main causes that damage not only the body but also the mind, and the soul. Not everyone is strong enough to speak up. The people who do not even know how a mental disease affects someone tend to criticize strongly and badly those who struggle. They believe that someone to be known or famous will fake an illness or tell lies about their lives and experiences. The holy truth is that, although a small number of people actually want to help, due to little knowl edge as mentioned before, unstable and ratio nal thoughts, the situation stays the same. How society can truly help mentally ill people. How can society help?? Of course, by educat ing! Malcolm Forbes once said that “the pur pose of education is to replace an empty mind with an open mind.” Also, Maya Angelou says “do your best until you know. Then when you
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learn better, do the best”. Bearing in mind those two sayings, society must create the right con ditions for young people and the older ones to be able to adopt a new way of thinking, express ing, and understanding all kinds of feelings that mentally ill people have and bother them. Education could be a start, in schools. Stu dents will learn how to communicate properly and stop bullying people with mental health problems. They could be more mature and have empathy. Specialists like psychologists can make sessions or mentor in schools. Students also could have a field trip to some psychiatric hospitals and have the chance to talk with the patients and learn more about their conditions. School can help parents and children to not be afraid anymore, to feel free to speak about that kind of disease. People should know how to ask for help, be proud of reaching out, or try to be better and healthy. In my opinion, mental health is a very hard and important issue that must be without any taboos. In my whole life, I can feel the pain of abandonment, rejection, their confusion. Through a lot of discussions with psychiatric patients, I came up with a conclusion…the only free thing we all can do is to open our hearts, brains, and ears. Everyone needs love. Needs understandings. Needs a healthy family and a mental healthy life. For the closing…yes mum and dad…I have everything when I have my mental health stable!
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It is an indisputable fact that women expe rience many hormonal changes during both ovulation and menstruation. In turn, many be havioral changes are caused which, as men tioned above, are criticized by certain parts of society. However, in many cases, these hor monal changes do not just cause an increase in nerves or an emotional charge. An actual disorder may exist.
DysphoricPremenstrualDisorder(PMDD)
The female reproductive system is com plex and fascinating. Each month, a series of functions are activated, with the possibility of achieving the miracle of life. If pregnancy is not the woman’s goal, this whole cycle is complet ed with menstruation. Menstruation is a unique process, which is experienced differently by each woman. Unfortunately, this natural proce dure is still viewed as a taboo by a large part of society, especially men, in the light of patri archy and its stereotypes. When on their peri ods, women are characterized, either with the purpose of insulting and belittling them or in the context of bad, stereotypical humor, as ex cessive, irritating, hyper-sensitive, and “crazy”.
by Aekaterini Leivaditi
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Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a diagnosis used to indicate serious premenstru al distress, with serious consequences on the life of the woman. Even though it is common ly defined as an endocrine disorder, it is also
When a woman’s menstrual cycle becomes an obstacle in her life
Living with
listed as a mental health problem because of its severe symptoms and its influence on wom en’s mental state. Those suffering from PMDD experience feelings like extreme irritability, ner vousness, lack of control, difficulty concentrat ing, severe fatigue, anger, and emotional sensitivity. In many cases, depression and suicidal thoughts have been reported. The physical symptoms contain breast tenderness and swelling, bloating, face acne, and abdominal cramps. Increased appetite and insomnia or over-sleeping are also very common. Those symptoms typically occur one or two weeks before menstruation, and they end once the woman’s period begins. Premenstrual dys phoric disorder seriously affects all areas of a woman’s life. “Nothing is surprising anymore: I just know that once a month for the rest of my life, my whole mood will be turned upside down”, says Elena, a 24-year-old law student. Elena lives in Thessaloniki and was diagnosed with PMDD when she was 16. “It was crazy. My period was always quite weird ever since it started, but once I hit sweet 16, everything became much more serious. My symptoms have always been the same: Every month, two weeks before my period starts, I experience the same misery. I am sad and angry all the time without a rea son, I cry on the slightest occasion, and I am fighting with my family and my friends. I just cannot enjoy anything; I cannot live my life like I do the rest of the month. Going to my university seems impossible. I just want to stay in my bed, away from everyone and everything, preferably eating as much as I can, until my period arrives. I know all those things do not seem normal, but this is my reality”.
The exact causes of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder are still not known. Many experts have linked PMDD with a family history of PMS (Pre menstrual Syndrome), depression, postpartum depression, or other mood disorders. Other risk factors include cigarette smoking and traumatic past events. Sadly, not enough re search has been conducted on the syndrome,
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and girls are not properly informed about it from a young age.
In many cases, PMDD is treated with antide pressants. SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are the only ones that have been shown to work for this disorder. Also, birth control pills are prescribed. Some natural alter natives to cope with Premenstrual dysphoric disorder are the adaptation of a healthy diet, and the consumption of certain vitamin sup plements, such as vitamin B6, calcium, and magnesium. In addition, regular exercise and the decrease of caffeine and alcohol have also been proven effective.
“When my symptoms kept occurring for sever al months, I thought I had depression. Obvious ly, I connected them to my cycle, but they were so strong, that they took over me entirely. It is like my whole personality and my views on life change. Basically, I lose my will to live. I didn’t believe that my menstrual cycle could cause something this serious”, says Elena.
“ Personally, I saw a significant change once I stopped smoking, mostly in my physical symp toms. My breasts stopped swelling so much, and my bloating decreased as well. I really try to eat healthily and do some sports, but I am really thinking about starting some birth con trol pill”, says Elena. “To be honest, I’m kind of used to it now. It is part of my life, and I am accepting it until sci ence does something more to help us, the wom en suffering from our cycles. I still receive stu pid jokes and offenses from people not aware of my condition, like “Wow, you got so many nerves. You are on your period, right?” Yes, I am on my period, and this is not as simple as many think. I know that this condition will pos sibly cause me problems in the future, in my career, and in my relationships with others, but
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I will not apologize or feel ashamed about it. I want to improve my condition as much as I can but, in the end, awareness should be raised as well. Regardless of gender, everyone should be aware of the particularities around a woman’s period. We are not exaggerating; we do not use our menstrual cycle as an excuse for anything. This is just the way our bodies work.”
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Like every subject that is worthy to become an article, the answer is not simple. Social media clearly fill certain needs and that is why they are so commonplace. Social media allow people from all over the world to unite under common themes and communicate between them. It allows marginalized communities like LGBTQ people to link together, meet each other and organize common activities. It allows peo ple stranded in their houses to learn about and contribute to many different themes. It allows people with social anxiety to communicate in a safe place. Finally, it allows the creation of an online persona, free from the shackles of real ity, that can showcase its best moments and inspire others. But as every child of the digital sphere, it also has a dark side. There are no lim its to who can have access to social media and some demographics are much more sensitive to them than others. For example, children and adolescents are much more impressionable and sensitive than adults. There have been many occasions of online bul lying that have led to anxiety and depression in children and even suicide. In addition, it is quite easy to get addicted to social media and opt for them to be your only way of communi cation with other people, reducing this way the social skills used and needed in face-to-face in teractions and ultimately marginalizing people more for the sake of an online community over a real-life one. Finally, social media is a great
Social media is the offspring of the digital rev olution of the 80’s when computers and the in ternet entered (although some say invaded) our lives. This entry has been long debated regard ing its positive or its negative effects on people of all ages. With a myriad of digital platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit, and Discord, it seems like social media are on the up and show no signs of reducing. So, it’s more important than ever to explore a question like “Are social media bad or good for mental health?”
Social Media and Mental Health by Alexandra Kontou
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way for showcasing only your “best self” with pictures of successes, holidays, great jobs, and great families that make people feel like their lives are lacking in comparison. It is extremely common to scroll social media for hours and finish off feeling overwhelmed by other peo ple’s life stories that make yours seem boring or unsuccessful in comparison. So, what is the answer to the question “Is social media good or bad for mental health?” The answer lies somewhere in between. In my personal opinion, social media need a certain amount of maturity and a good grounding, in reality, to not be detrimental to someone’s men tal health. People need to be aware of the fake ness of social media and not fall prey to the perfect lives of others. They must also make an effort to create face-to-face friendships and communities, so they don’t escape from the digital world so much. Lastly, they need to know when to switch off their computer if someone is being abusive towards them for the fun of it. As everything that is used in such huge quantities, from medicine to food, social media must be taken in small doses and only for its benefits, so it doesn’t become a danger to people of all ages.
These are the images, and some associations people have of Finland: Peaceful, Relaxing Na ture with Clean Air, Safe & Reindeers! In a global context, Finland is a safe country to live in and economically the government does support you especially when you are in the most need. However, I cannot help to hear the fact that: “Everyone is happy? Well maybe I am the only one who isn’t then”. This is a comedic approach to the mental health and happiness phenome na in Finland; however, it has some bitter sense of truth to it. The physical health of Finns has improved over the past decades, but no corresponding change has been achieved in mental health.
The costs of mental health disorders in Finland are estimated at 11 billion euros per year. (Mie li 2021) What has improved is the overall atti tude towards mental health and its problems. People tend to be more open to seeking help. Also, the stigma of mental health is disappear ing, and people are more encouraged to get help through public advertisements and media. (Mieli 2021) In general Finland’s mental health service organization aims to promote a mis sion regarding mental health and the preven tion of problems. They defend everyone’s equal right to good mental health. The background of the plan has been concerned for the mental health and movement of the entire population, especially people at risk of marginalization and in a weaker position. (Mieli 2021) In Finland, mental health services are divided between public and private services. Private services are more available and easier to ac cess however, the prices are much higher and The happiest country in the world! The most secure and best place to live in the world! The best education, the best…
A brief insight into the mental health services in Finland by Venni Metsaranta
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not affordable for all Finns. If you cannot af ford private services, you usually must wait a quite long time for the public services to be available. (Mieli 2021) For some people, wait ing for months could already be too late. On a more individualistic level, the external threats such as the increased awareness of climate change (Eco-anxiety) are affecting the every day life choices of young Finns. For my mas ter’s degree, I examined the perceived eco-anx iety among Finnish youth in 2020 and how eco-anxiety is linked to the changes in every day life choices of young Finns. In this study, eco-anxiety was defined as a unified construct of climate-related anger, anxiety, fear, guilt, and depression. In addition, the link between issues such as news and politics with eco-anxiety was examined. (Metsaranta 2021) The conclusion of the research was that eco-anxiety poses a threat and emerges as a response to the cur rent worldwide climate change crisis. Eco-anx iety is thus an understandable reaction to the state of the world and can motivate people to act, on the other hand, it can also lead to a loss of ability to function. Whether it is a conflict or the results of some emotions, it is important to find out what can explain when eco-anxiety increases activity and increases sensations of repression or paralysis. Eco-anxiety is a broad phenomenon, which is linked with many climate emotions, psychosocial well-being, and mental states of humans. This research aimed to clar ify how eco-anxiety is experienced among the Finnish youth and whether it had a major role in the everyday life choices. The research also helped to understand various forms of issues that cause eco-anxiety and which emotions were intertwined with eco-anxiety. Eco-anxi ety as a phenomenon should be considered a crucial problem to tackle and to assess in what ways the emotions and sensations caused by it could be lessened. (Metsaranta 2021) The sig nificance of this research as an example reso
nates with the Green your mind project that I am currently part of here in Thessaloniki, Greece. For Finns, a very normal place to quiet the mind and try to cope with mental issues is to go to na ture. It is one of the most efficient ways to cope with stress and anxiety. Nature has a positive effect on mental health. The natural environ ment offers several opportunities to promote both mental health and general well-being. The best way to get the well-being effects of nature is to act out in the nature of yourself. Howev er, you don’t have to go into the wilderness for long periods to get the well-being effects. Even short visits to parks, forest paths, or the shores of ponds or rivers produce favorable effects on both physical and psychological well-being. (Mielenterveystalo 2022) The images below are associated with how Finnish people tend to find happiness and relief from stress & anxiety in nature. The connection between nature and coping with mental health issues is imminent. To conclude, I personally do feel safe and happy to live in Finland, and foremost I do feel privileged. However, when you are following the statistics, you cannot help to notice some alarming numbers. The increase of deaths from drug use is increasing, and the waiting lists to get mental support, especially in the public sector, are too long. Mieli. 2021. Retrieved 07.04.2022 from: https://mieli.fi/yhteiskun ta/mielenterveys-suomessa/tilastotietoa-mielenterveydesta/
Venni Metsaranta. 2021. Jyvaskylan yliopisto. bitstream/handle/123456789/76581/URN%3aNBN%3afi%3ahttps://jyx.jyu.fi/ Luontojyu-202106163780.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=yArjessa.2022.Mielenterveystalo.from: https://www. mielenterveystalo.fi/aikuiset/itsehoito-ja-oppaat/oppaat/ti oikeasti.aspxetoa_luonnon_hyvinvointivaikutuksista/Pages/luontokokemus_ “The snow is the sun in the darkness.” Metsaranta 2022 M ENTAL H EALTH A BROAD 36 Out Of The Borders
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These are the words of Frida Kahlo, a figure we easily recognize from her famous self-portraits and her strong personality, but also for her tur bulent life and emotional difficulties. Paintings such as The Broken Column or the self-por trait with cropped hair depicture moments of her life where she felt broken and in pain. But Kahlo’s paintings are not the only example of mental suffering. In Munch’s painting, “The Scream” you can actually see the abnormality of his state of mind and you can barely hear the screaming. It is rumored that the painting was a moment of existential terror for the artist himself. In addition, in that kind of painting, we can allow ourselves to feel the disturbance of the artists and we can empathize or find some thing directly connected to our emotional state. But what is that special element that makes art Art as a form of reaching out by Eleftheria Kokkinidou
Konstantinos KavafisThe broken column, 1944, By Frida Kahlo (1907-1954), Museo Dolores Olmedo,Mexico city, Mexico “I am not sick, I am broken. But I am happy to be alive as long as I can paint”
Veijola et al (2004), in a research regarding the links between mental disorders and creativity, concluded that, in some cases, there is a con nection between these two factors. As Aristo tle said, “great artists, philosophers, writers, and politicians are vulnerable to melancholy”.
First of all, people with mood disorders can in stinctively use art as a coping mechanism to process their current state of mind and even tually heal. But healing is not the end goal for every artist. Tragic figures, such as Van Gogh and Virginia Woolf, reveal a darker and more difficult part of the process. We can imag ine that not every artist uses art consciously to deal with their suffering, or that this is the end goal for every creative soul. Nevertheless, more artistic forms of expression allow even the more reluctant and distant people to find a safe place, a form of expression that’s more indirect and complex, so they can allow them selves to say the things they want to say in a way that feels comfortable. In addition, it’s in that state of mind, that’s free from restrictions, but also unwell and sensitive, that emotions begin to take place as colors or poetic words in the best way possible. In conclusion, for the art to project authentically the complexity of the current mental state of the artist, it must be spontaneous and without boundaries.
A more realistic approach to the theory of the “mad artist” is that the social environment is The scream, 1893, Edvard Munch (1863-1944), The Munch museum, Oslo, Norway Self portrait with cropped hair, 1940, By Frida Kahlo (19071954), Museum of modern art, New york city
the ideal way for creative souls to express their inner struggles?
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built in a way that puts pressure on more cre ative people. That’s because a differentiation from the normal rhythms of work puts creative people in the background and forces them to distance themselves from more conventional ways of functioning so they can find an envi ronment that fits their creative processing. As we said earlier, creativity is something that can not be forced. So these patterns of normality and structure cannot be a one size fits all and they might even make a creative person ques tion their ability to function in a way that feels more socially acceptable. Another theory from the same research sug gests that sensitivity and art are connected. In that sense, a creative gift might be linked to a certain sensitivity and the ability of a neurotic person to experience things on a deeper level and find art as a material for artistic relief. We cannot deny that the purpose of art is to relieve the emotions of the artist. For example, a fa mous Greek poet, Kavafιs, used his writing abil ity to express a love that was considered forbid den by society. The pressure he felt is partly the reason we can enjoy his tender words through literature, where his love could breathe and be free of restrictions. To summit up, why is art so important for the artist? Art is an emotional and intellectual pro cess that’s often published to an audience. In that way, the artist exposes themselves to a variety of people and it says in the clearest way “see me”. That core need to be seen, to be known, and to be understood lays the founda tions for reaching out. For a lot of artists, art was the only way to speak their pain and for others was the way to forget it. As for the au dience, the importance of an art piece is not necessary to understand the artist but to un derstand yourself. Can you allow art to reflect your emotions? Lauronen, E. Veijola, J., Isohanni, I., Jones, P. B., Nieminen, P., & Isohanni, M. (2004). Links Between Creativity and Mental Disor der. Psychiatry: Interpersonal and Biological Processes, 67(1), Waugh,81–98. R. (2020, November 4). The enduring connection be tween art and mental health. Art UK. Retrieved 13/7/22, Virginiaf5L5A3m5LsavKZ3XX0kbclid=IwAR10PhOi37nwsWjsk1Q8XGR-hRUqfC_bz7QN3yPHwww.dailyartmagazine.com/frida-kahlo-suffering-paintings/?fPaintings.Richetti,ty-5094193verywellmind.com/the-link-between-depression-and-creativiCreativity.DanielmIsi2Wljgal_1WtEzqO0aDc0CG7Ij5EY0eMCsIRZBItween-art-and-mental-health?fbclid=IwAR2RzhCSXwneVWcG_https://artuk.org/discover/stories/the-enduring-connection-befrom:B.(2021,February5).TheLinkBetweenDepressionandVerywellMind.Retrieved13/7/22from:https://www.A.(2022,May6).FridaKahlo:TheSufferingBehindHerDailyArtMagazine.Retrieved13/7/22,from:https://Woolf,1912,ByVanessaBell(1879-1961)
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Vincent van Gogh, By Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890), Royal academy of fine arts, Antwerp, Belgium.
I decided to create this mini gallery in order to display my time and experience in Thessaloniki. Being the beautiful city place that it is, filled with life in all aspects, and given my passion for photography and street photography specif ically, I thought it would be the most appropri ate thing for me to present to you. Here’s a small piece of what I saw during my time in the second largest city of Greece.
Thessaloniki Diaries by Gonçalo De Barbosa Januario
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The last phase of depression kicked in... I never knew this would happen to me Changed all my feelings except one Love... still in love with the girl from my childhood I never forget her Her smile, her voice in my ears made my pulse raise. Now? It’s nothing now. Pure emptiness. World is too small for this much pain People don’t care about each other Everyone is living their own life You would never see what I see everyday. That’s why you don’t care. Because you don’t know. Oblivion is what I’m scared of most. But changes... In the dark black painted room there is a small window. Little bit of light comes into the room. There’s a hand reaching out. But I can’t get close to it. I feel like something big is holding me back. Something dark. Don’t even remember who I am And what I have here. I will, I will get out! I will, because i love I will, because i think I will, because i feel I will, because i care I will, because I need to. But... I need you most. I need your words. by Nikolozi Pantsulaia
I can’t think straight Like you do All I feel is pain Like I should Can’t see anything in the darkness I’ll be ready when it happens But world was never like that I’m here for my stupid act I should never left my mom She was always so warm I got mom no more And it’s my fault for sure Tried many times to leave but they didn’t let me go.
Illness
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I need your hug. I need to know that I’m not alone. That you’re on my side. And will protect me from darkness. I need help from an unknown friend.
Everything in life has a reason. believe me. I Just need a fresh start. I WILL LIVE
Afroditi Zafeiraki, 22 years old from VGreecealeria
Paluan, 21 years old from Italy
Eleftheria Tsirigoti, 31 years old from GreeceKaitiLeivaditi, 21 years old from NGreeceikolozi Patsulaia, 20 years old from Georgia
Nelli Khachatryan, 23 years old from Armenia
Eleftheria Kokkinidou, 21 years old from Greece
Gabriel Emilio Rivera Gallegos, 29 years old from Greece Syuzanna Grigorian, 26 years old fromArmeniaVasiliki Arkoumani, 21 years old from GGreeceonçalo
Isidora Arabatzi, 24 years old from Greece G.Y.M. TEAM
Gianluca Capozzo, 24 years old fromAItalylexandra Kontou, 19 years old from SGreecealome Chochua, 23 years old from VGeorgiaenniMetsäranta, 28 years old from Finland
Januário, 22 years old from Portugal
General Directors: Aristodimos Paraschou Christian Cibba Sara Angioletti Editor: Aekaterini Leivaditi Graphic Designer: Anna Maria Diamantidou Find us: Usb_ngo.grwww.balkanhotspot.org
The volunteers responsible for this publication are hosted in Greece in the framework of the European ERASMUS+ Pro gramme, European Solidarity Corps. This project has been funded with support from the European Commision. This pub lication [communication] reflects the views of only of the au thor, and the Commision can not be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
