About ONE OF US

Mental illness affects almost everyone
Statistically, 1 in 5 Danes will experience a mental health problem in any given year. In Denmark, it is estimated that approximately 500.000 people are affected by mental illness and many among them have more than one diagnosis. Experiencing mental illness is for most people temporary and they will get well again. For others mental illness is recurrent or long lasting. No matter what, they are all one of us.
Having a mental illness is hard enough, without having to deal with the shame and isolation that aften comes with it due to stigma and discrimination. Many of us don’t know enough about mental illness, which is one of the reasons why people with mental illness and mental health problems in general face many prejudices. That is why our work is so important. No one should have to fear being socially stigmatized because of mental health problems. Your attitude to mental illness could change someone’s life. Knowledge and good advice about how to meet people with mental illness can change this behavior and that is exactly what ONE OF US is about.

What does stigma mean?
The word stigma means a mark of discrase or disapproval that sets a person apart from others. When a person is labelled by their illness they are no longer seen as an individual but as part of a stereotyped group. Labelling someone because of mental illness may have severe consequences. The pain of being set apart from others and therefore not being part of society makes a person more vulnerable and the illness becomes even harder to endure. Negative attitudes and beliefs towards this group creates prejudice which leads to negative actions and discrimination. This can hinder the pursuit of a meaningful life and inhibit people from seeking treatment in time. This is costly, for the individual and for society.

Our purpose
The purpose of ONE OF US is to reduce stigma related to mental illness in Denmark. Our vision is a society with no more discrimination and exclusion of people who have or have had a mental illness. “No more silence, doubt and taboo about (around) mental illness” summarizes our determination. 

The campaign ONE OF US
The Danish campaign ONE OF US is a nationwide campaign including regional and local activities. The campaign focuses on five main themes:

The youth | The labour market | Service users and relatives | Staff in health and social services | The media and the public

ONE OF US was officially launched in 2011 and will continue to 2021.

Become a volunteer
An important part of the campaign is the involvement of volunteers (ambassadors) who have or have had a mental illness and their relatives and are active in organisations for service users and their relatives. Among our volunteers there are also service users’ work supervisors and colleagues, students, politicians etc. In fact, volunteers from all walks of life are welcome as every possible resource is needed for the ONE OF US campaign to succeed.

International network
ONE OF US is part of The Global Anti-Stigma Alliance (GASA), an international network of national campaigns against stigma. The aim of the network is for the members to share knowledge, evidence, materials and best practices.

In September 2017, more than 350 people representing 32 countries attended the 8th International Stigma Conference titled “Overcoming Barriers in Minds and Society” in Copenhagen and hosted by ONE OF US.

Find presentations, films and other material from the conference here:
http://www.againststigma2017.com/ 

The ONE OF US Organisation
The campaign is managed nationally by the ONE OF US secretariat, located in Copenhagen. We are three fulltime employees and one student employee. An important part of ONE OF US is our dedication to spreading our message and practicing what we believe. For people with mental illness, finding work in the open labour market or returning to work and retaining a job after treatment is often a challenge. Stigma surrounds those with mental illness and the recovery process is often misunderstood. Therefore, it is important for us to support individuals who due to mental illness or challenging life circumstances as long-term illness or unemployment to return to work through job training. We also offer unpaid internships for students.

The regional PsykInfo’s (Regional Psychiatric Information Center) work closely together with the national ONE OF US secretariat and manage the regional coordination groups. The PsykInfo’s plan and carry out regional and local ONE OF US activities and are in charge of the overall support of the volunteers.

Behind the ONE OF US campaign is a strong network formed in 2010 by the following organisations:   

Danish Health Authority | Danish Regions |The Danish Foundation TrygFonden | PsykiatriNetværket | The Danish Mental Health Fund |KL- Local Government Denmark | The National Board of Social Services | The Danish Committee for Health Education 

In addition, a resource group has been formed for each of the five main themes consisting of representatives from groups of service users and their relatives, professional societies, professionals, Denmark’s regional psychiatric information centers and other relevant stakeholders.

The campaign is managed nationally by the ONE OF US’ secretariat, Carl Nielsens Allé 9D, undertagen, 2100 København Ø.