 ESMHD is an international Non-Government Organisation for the promotion of the positive mental health of deaf people in Europe.
Mental health includes healthy emotional, psychological and social development, the prevention and treatment of mental illness and other disorders. ESMHD focuses on people, who were born deaf or deafness occurred in early childhood and whose first or preferred language is sign language.
The ESMHD is interested in the mental health of all deaf people, whatever the age of onset or degree of deafness.
ESMHD Background
ESMHD was established by a group of concerned people from four European countries in 1986. ESMHD now has representatives from most European Union Countries and some from wider Europe.
Each country is represented by two members on the ESMHD Council, who elect the Executive Committee. Council members provide information on national developments and also disseminate European information in their own countries.
To support the development of good mental health practice, it is also now possible for groups to subscribe to (non-voting) Annual ESMHD General Assembly membership. Individuals may subscribe to ESMHD from those countries who have yet to establish an effective national society for mental health and deafness.
Links exist with the European Union of the Deaf, European Regional Council of the World Federation for Mental Health, World Federation of the Deaf Commission on Mental Health, and the European Regional Office of the World Health Organisation.
ESMHD Issues
Since the formation of ESMHD new mental health services for deaf people have been established and existing ones expanded and developed.
In spite of progress, the majority of deaf Europeans do not have equal access to mental health services at all levels. In too many countries there is still limited, or no specialist professional expertise in the mental health needs of deaf people.
There are significant mental health implications for all that suffer from discrimination and re-stricted opportunities.
Deaf people have a significant additional challenge, as their language is different from that of their family and most others in their country of origin.
ESMHD Activities
ESMHD convenes an International Congress every three years and more frequent smaller thematic seminars, workshops and exchanges on current topics are also arranged, often, in association with Council meetings.
ESMHD promotes networking and the exchanges of personnel and expertise between countries.
In this rare field, workers in both established and developing services benefit from shared experience and mutual support.
ESMHD Aims
- Mental health practice appropriate to deaf people's needs;
- Access to specialised mental health services for deaf people with mental health problems;
- Specialised habilitation and/or rehabilitation services for deaf people, who have been deprived of opportunities for the development or maintenance of life skills;
- Research into mental health and deafness;
- Opportunities for deaf people to provide the mental health services for other deaf people;
- Networks of interested people in each country;
- Information collection and dissemination on the mental health care of deaf people;
- Respect for deaf people's language and culture;
- Exchange of ideas and support amongst all that have an interest in mental health and deafness.
Language
Sign Language is often suppressed by society, in spite of it being the main language of those who have early profound deafness. To be effective and accessible Mental Health services for deaf people must be provided in sign language.
For example, most medical practitioners are unable to take a background history from signing deaf patients without an interpreter. They are unable to effectively assess the deaf patient's mental state without having fluency in sign language themselves. They are incapacitated as referral gatekeepers, as diagnosticians, and in providing treatment, except for inappropriate trial and error drug only orientated approaches.
Whilst workers with deaf people, of all ages, are becoming more aware of their special mental health needs this vital aspect is still all to often misunderstood or neglected. All workers with deaf people need sign language fluency and knowledge of the special issues in prevention, assessment and treatment of mental health problems.
The mental health of Deaf people will improve with greater recognition of deaf people's language, culture and life experiences. Increased awareness by the general public of the mental health needs of deaf children, adults and their families, is vital for appropriate child rearing, education and where necessary care strategies. |
