People with disabilities are often particularly affected by mental illness. This was one of the reasons why the Federal Government Commissioner for Matters relating to Persons with Disabilities, Jürgen Dusel, visited the Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) in Mannheim. In a round table discussion, he learned about issues such as participation and access to the healthcare system for people with disabilities. The participants included the Head of the Department of Community Psychiatry, Prof. Dr. Barbara Vollmayr, the Head of the Social Psychiatric Service and Self-Help Representative of the CIMH, Jasmin Potthoff, and the first deputy of the Representative for Severely Disabled Persons, Joachim Pietzsch.

Participatory research at the CIMH

CIMH Director Prof. Dr. Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg introduced the institute, explained innovative approaches to the treatment of mental illnesses such as the track units and provided insights into research at the CIMH. During a tour of the Center for Innovative Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Research (ZIPP), guests were able to gain an impression of the research infrastructure at the CIMH. The focus was on the possibilities of participatory research, i.e. the inclusion of the perspective of those affected. At the CIMH, researchers and people who have personal experience with mental illness regularly exchange ideas in the so-called Affected Persons Advisory Board and discuss current research projects. In addition, the Elma project is currently developing an app for parents suffering from addiction to accompany their therapy. The perspective of those affected also plays a major role here and is included in Elma. This project was presented by PD Dr. Anne Koopmann and Julia Reinhardt.