"We need to know first-hand experiences to improve our professional practice"

We often find few spaces to listen to others, to listen to those who are the object of our care. I have had the opportunity to take a master's degree in mental health care, taught by the Campus Docent i Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu , which has allowed me and other professionals to put ourselves in the shoes of people with mental health problems on a daily basis. It has been an exercise in mutual learning , of looking at each other on equal terms and reflecting on the humanization of care and care based on respect for rights, and thus eliminating unethical and disrespectful practices that are often perpetuated in mental health care services.

Training and awareness-raising of mental health professionals from the recovery model

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As in other areas of health, the participation of people with mental health problems in the design, coordination and training of training programs aimed at professionals seems to me necessary and essential. I believe that they should be integrated, in fact, into all the training programs of the different nursing schools in the country.

The voice of people with first-hand experience must be made visible, especially when future health professionals are in training.

Looking back on the years, I am able to appreciate this fact for all that it can contribute to the understanding of mental health in the most emotional and shared decision-making areas. In nursing, it is equally important to be competent in the techniques we use as to be competent in our more humane care, closer to the person, transmitting values ​​such as respect, empathy, freedom in decision-making or equality. These are concepts that are precisely addressed in the recovery module of this master's degree.

Personally, I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of this module, it is a source of experiences narrated in the first person that we need to know in order to practice our profession with the utmost respect and professionalism.

These experiences, in some cases, may sound uncomfortable or even implausible, but unfortunately they are the harsh reality. In particular, listening to these stories of people who have unfairly suffered discriminatory treatment by the healthcare community generates a mixture of anger, helplessness and shame at the same time. Fortunately, we have made a lot of progress as a society and as a healthcare system, but there is still a long way to go for improvement, and, in this sense, it is necessary to know these experiences so that they are not repeated and we can learn from the mistakes made .

To be able to do this, we need to talk about it, to know the tools to avoid falling into bad practices or habits that need to be changed. These are habits that we often carry intrinsically, that society dictates to us or that, in some cases, are inherited from the same units or services and we end up normalizing. A blatant example is the treatment given to people diagnosed with a mental disorder when they are treated in outpatient or emergency services when, simply by having a diagnostic label, their fundamental rights such as freedom, privacy or the right to information are violated. These practices are also very visible in the same specialized mental health services.

During the course of the recovery module, debates were generated that could be uncomfortable. Among the students, a mixture of indignation or disbelief could be felt in the face of the arguments of some speakers. But these debates are necessary to stir consciences among our group. It is about making us think and never losing sight of the fact that taking care must have the person and their family at the center of our activity.