Global Initiative on Psychiatry
Encyclopedia
Global Initiative on Psychiatry (GIP) is an international foundation for mental health reform which took part in the campaign against the political abuse of psychiatry
in the USSR.
Headquartered in Hilversum
, GIP has regional centers in Tbilisi
, Sofia
, and Vilnius
, and a country office in Dushanbe
.
GIP is a main contributor to improving psychiatric care in countries of the former Soviet Union
as well as Central and Eastern Europe. It has expanded its focus and as of 2010 is including projects in Asia
, Africa
, and the Caribbean.
GIP also focuses on the political abuse of psychiatry
throughout the world and human rights monitoring.
of the International Association on the Political Use of Psychiatry (IAPUP) whose first secretary was Dr Gérard Bles of France. The IAPUP was constituted as a confederation of national groups who took part in the campaign against the political abuse of psychiatry. In 1986, Robert van Voren became General Secretary of the IAPUP. Since, the organization was renamed Geneva Initiative on Psychiatry and, in 2005, Global Initiative on Psychiatry (GIP).
and Honorary Member of the Ukraine Psychiatric Association. In 2005, he was knighted by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
for his work as a human rights activist.
Political abuse of psychiatry
Political abuse of psychiatry is the purported misuse of psychiatric diagnosis, detention and treatment for the purposes of obstructing the fundamental human rights of certain groups and individuals in a society...
in the USSR.
Headquartered in Hilversum
Hilversum
is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Located in the region called "'t Gooi", it is the largest town in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller villages...
, GIP has regional centers in Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, and Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, and a country office in Dushanbe
Dushanbe
-Economy:Coal, lead, and arsenic are mined nearby in the cities of Nurek and Kulob allowing for the industrialization of Dushanbe. The Nurek Dam, the world's highest as of 2008, generates 95% of Tajikistan's electricity, and another dam, the Roghun Dam, is planned on the Vakhsh River...
.
GIP is a main contributor to improving psychiatric care in countries of the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
as well as Central and Eastern Europe. It has expanded its focus and as of 2010 is including projects in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, and the Caribbean.
GIP also focuses on the political abuse of psychiatry
Political abuse of psychiatry
Political abuse of psychiatry is the purported misuse of psychiatric diagnosis, detention and treatment for the purposes of obstructing the fundamental human rights of certain groups and individuals in a society...
throughout the world and human rights monitoring.
History
20 December 1980 saw the formation in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
of the International Association on the Political Use of Psychiatry (IAPUP) whose first secretary was Dr Gérard Bles of France. The IAPUP was constituted as a confederation of national groups who took part in the campaign against the political abuse of psychiatry. In 1986, Robert van Voren became General Secretary of the IAPUP. Since, the organization was renamed Geneva Initiative on Psychiatry and, in 2005, Global Initiative on Psychiatry (GIP).
Chief Executive
Chief Executive of the Global Initiative on Psychiatry is Robert van Voren, a Honorary Fellow of the British Royal College of PsychiatristsRoyal College of Psychiatrists
The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the main professional organisation of psychiatrists in the United Kingdom responsible for representing psychiatrists, psychiatric research and providing public information about mental health problems...
and Honorary Member of the Ukraine Psychiatric Association. In 2005, he was knighted by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
for his work as a human rights activist.