Italy
This is the fifth year that the Italian Association for Mental Health (AISME-Associazione Italiana per la Salute Mentale) and the Florence Municipality have collaborated on the October event, in partnership with an ever-increasing number of public and private organizations around Florence and in other parts of the country. AISME forwarded an account of World Mental Health activities in many locations, and on many themes. In Calenzano, for example, the focus of a day-long meeting was human and social rights, “so easy to speak about but so difficult to apply.” At an event in Trieste the theme was diversity, while in Prato the topic was the rights of immigrants. In other parts of the country self-help initiatives, eating disorders, and panic attacks were among the meeting topics, and at Pisa University an outcomes evaluation for self-help groups was held. Some groups opted to hold social events, and there was a big interest in sports activities.