The representatives of the Psychiatric Associations of Eastern Europe and the Balkans, having convened in Thessaloniki, Greece, for the First East Europe Psychiatric Congress have decided to declare the following:
Taking into account
1. That the majority of the countries of Eastern Europe and the Balkans are suffering from severe economic difficulties
2. That the population of many of the countries of the region have suffered severe stress due to wars, civil conflicts and other stressors
3. That there are still in many countries, hundreds of thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons living in poor conditions
4. That many psychosocial consequences such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, psychosomatic disorders, substance abuse, violence etc. have resulted or have been precipitated by stress and require treatment and prevention of further consequences
5. That there is need for reconciliation in order to prevent transgenerational transmission of trauma and future repetition of the spiral of violence among the countries of the region
6. That political leaders as well as the international scientific community can contribute substantially to the prevention of future mass violence and to the protection of mental health of the populations
7. That the degree of communication and exchange of scientific information of psychiatrists in the area with their colleagues in other parts of the world face serious obstacles, financial and administrative, thus leading to isolation of the scientific communities of Eastern Europe and the Balkans
8. That the scientific productivity of psychiatrists working in the area has been severely curtailed because of the above economic and other problems
9. That there is great need for the upgrading of scientific knowledge in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, especially with reference to scientific areas like Psychiatric Reform, Community Psychiatry, Prevention, Promotion of Mental Health and Research
10. That there is great need for scientific input from Eastern Europe and the Balkans to return to its previous level of excellence for the benefit of our patients, their relatives and society
We draw the attention of the International Scientific Community, the World Psychiatric Association, the World Health Organization, the political leadership of the World, and all other relevant International political, non-governmental and scientific organizations to the above facts and urge them to contribute to the reconstruction and advancement of the countries of Eastern Europe and to the upgrading of productivity of their psychiatric communities, to the benefit of the patients, their relatives and the societies of Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the World.
Given on 20 September 2007 in Thessaloniki, Greece
