NSF(Scotland) is a Scottish charity providing support and direct services with a particular emphasis on those suffering from schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a European issue because it is a public health issue, affecting 1 in 100 of the general population by the age of 45 those with mental illness and their carers are excluded from social and economic activity. As you start a new parliamentary term, we invite you to learn more about the illness and discuss how a European approach can improve the situation for all those affected. In the European Union population of over 350 million, 3,500,000 people have experience of severe mental illness and another seven million are affected by it as carers and relatives. You can improve public health throughout the Union by encouraging the sharing of best practice in medical care through consistent standards for medication and encouraging treatment to be based on objective European measures of clinical care working to support initiatives to provide early support to prevent or mitigate the medical and social consequences of the illness supporting research into the causes, prevention and treatment of schizophrenia. We work with EUFAMI (the European Federation of Associations of Families of Mentally Ill People) to support these activities. The EU governments' conference at Tampere, Finland in October this year will provide an impetus within the European Union. We would be glad to give you more information about that and about EUFAMI's own Congress in Stockholm in early October: "The Caring Future starts now..". Those affected directly by severe mental illness suffer exclusion from a number of sources economic exclusion, as the normal patterns of work are not suitable for their capabilities either in terms of the stress levels, or in terms of the ability to take breaks in work when the illness becomes more severe access to rights such as benefit rights is more difficult because the nature of the illness makes it very hard to meet the conditions of form filling and attending interviews. Both those with the illness and their carers additional suffer exclusion produced by stigma - this is deeply routed in our cultures and directly and indirectly produces disadvantages even in the provision of health and social services. A number of EU funded projects have been run in Scotland to improve the employment changes of those with severe mental illness. These need to continue in order to find and implement best practise through experience in many European countries. Many people and their families are coping with mental illness. We supply support to those with experience of mental illness and their carers in many parts of the country (from Golspie to Stranraer). We run drop in centres, some with cafes which open during the week and weekend We provide employment support and training We supply support to carers Our drop-in centres and our staff would be glad to meet you and tell you about our experiences. We can put you in touch with our projects round the country where you can meet the real experts - those with direct experience of the illness and their carers. The National Schizophrenia Fellowship (SCOTLAND) is a member led organisation which works to improve the wellbeing and quality of life of those affected by schizophrenia and other mental illnesses, including families and carers. We represent the interests of our 500+ members, and our service users, and promote meaningful involvement and empowerment of service users and carers in all support and services. NSF (SCOTLAND) provides community based services to carers and service users, provides information/education and promotes greater public understanding of schizophrenia Contacts: For general information: Ian Harper, Information Officer To meet some of our service users: Paddy Carstairs, Operations Manager Re the review of the Mental Health Act: Mary Weir, Chief Executive Address: NSF(SCOTLAND) Claremont House 130 East Claremont Street Edinburgh EH7 4LB Email: [email protected] Web site: www.nsfscot.org.uk Phone no: 0131 557 8969 Fax: 0131 557 8968