A self-help-friendly hospital is characterized by the fact that it supplements its medical and nursing activities with the experiential knowledge of self-help groups, promotes exchange between patients and self-help groups, and actively supports self-help groups. Patients and their families learn from people with similar experiences how to deal with and live with an illness. At the same time, doctors, therapists, and nursing staff receive valuable information that helps them better understand the lives of those affected and further develop treatment concepts.
In 2012, the Central Institute for Mental Health (CIMH) became the first psychiatric hospital in Baden-Württemberg to be certified as a self-help-friendly hospital. The certification was renewed in 2016, 2018, 2021, and now 2025. The CIMH partner is the Gesundheitstreffpunkt Mannheim (Mannheim Health Meeting Place). The center for self-help and independent patient counseling currently facilitates contact with 220 active self-help groups in Mannheim.
The self-help-friendly award is presented by the Network for Self-Help Friendliness and Patient Orientation in Healthcare when the quality criteria for self-help friendliness are implemented through concrete measures.
Quality report provides information about activities
The accompanying quality report, Self-Help-Friendly Hospital 2025, has now been published by the CIMH. It provides information about the special features of the CIMH and presents its extensive activities.