MENTAL HEALTH SPAIN celebrates four decades and celebrates it under the motto ’40 years for mental health, for rights, for you’
On the occasion of this event, the Confederation has modified its brand image so that, throughout this year, the four decades of work are reflected in its logo and, in general, in the internal and external corporate image of the organization .
SALUD MENTAL ESPAÑA is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2023. The Board of Directors of SALUD MENTAL ESPAÑA approved on June 11, 2022 that the theme of the 40th anniversary of the Confederation should focus on the history of the associative movement and its contribution to the progress of mental health through great milestones, without forgetting the people who made it possible and the families. The focus will also be on the generational replacement of the people who will lead the associative movement in the future. The motto chosen for the 40th anniversary, after an internal participation process, is ‘40 years for mental health, for rights, for you’.
To represent these 40 years, SALUD MENTAL ESPAÑA has created, by the designer Julio Marta, a symbol that is born from an interpretation of the original logo, and whose intention is that it is related to the Confederation but that, at the same time, has its own entity. Conceptually, two of the faces look at each other and smile. It inherits colors and the original shape of the tree with its associated positive elements, stability, growth, but graphically modernized, simplified and more regular. The smiles outline a 40, in relation to the anniversary.
As a complementary visual identity, the Confederation has chosen the figure of a faro to represent the associative movement as a guide that illuminates the path that remains to be traveled in the field of mental health.
Throughout 2023, the activities carried out by SALUD MENTAL ESPAÑA will reflect the importance of this 40th anniversary, which will also be commemorated with the celebration of different initiatives that will value the work carried out in recent decades, the achievements achieved thanks to the work in the network of the associative movement and the demands that still remain to be fulfilled.
40 years working for mental health
On its 40th anniversary, SALUD MENTAL ESPAÑA claims the need to defend the human rights of people with mental health problems and increase resources in this area so that the public health system can offer adequate care.
Created as a state organization to bring together and represent the entire associative movement of relatives and people with mental health problems, today the Confederation brings together more than 300 entities and 47,000 members and associates. Since June 2015, FEAFES has been renamed the SPAIN MENTAL HEALTH Confederation, a name change that aims to offer society a positive vision of mental health, moving away from the concept of “mental illness”.
In recent years, there have been important advances in mental health. The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic It had a great impact on the mental health of the population and contributed, along with the work of the associative movement, to mental health beginning to enter the political agenda. SALUD MENTAL ESPAÑA has collaborated on milestones as important as the Mental Health Strategy of the National Health System for the period 2022-2026, in whose drafting the Confederation participated. Claims that the associative movement had been carrying out for years have also been achieved, such as the launch of the free and accessible public telephone for attention to suicidal behaviour, the 024.
It is also important to highlight achievements such as the start-up of the Mental Health, Rights and Equality Observatory by the Confederation, as well as the work of compilation and analysis of violations of rights in Spain that is published annually in its Report on the State of Human Rights in Mental Health.
However, much remains to be done so that people with mental health problems enjoy the same rights as the rest of the population. The Confederation sees it as essential to guarantee and ensure that mental health care is carried out with a human rights approach, avoiding institutionalization and deepening the development of the community model. In addition, it maintains that investment in mental health must guarantee continued treatment adapted to the particular needs of each person, which will allow a better recovery, greater autonomy, and savings in public spending.
In addition, it is essential labor inclusion since, according to the INE (National Institute of Statistics), psychosocial disability was the second with the lowest employment rate in 2021. The suicide prevention It is another of the pending subjects since, according to the latest figures from the National Institute of Statistics, more than 4,000 people died from this cause in 2021 and the number of suicides in boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 14 has increased by 41% in 2021. , compared to 2020. Regarding child and adolescent care, the Confederation calls for the implementation of an emotional education subject in classrooms.
On the other hand, the participation of the associative movement in the design and evaluation of public policies is fundamental, articulating a true participation of people with mental disorders, family members and organizations.
Lastly, internally, the Confederation is committed to continuing to advance in the participation of people with mental disorders in all actions and levels of the Confederation, in their empowerment, and in care for families.