November 25–27 · 2022
THE 28TH CONFERENCE OF THE DISRUPTION NETWORK LAB
KUNSTQUARTIER BETHANIEN - BERLIN & STREAMING

What does it mean to have a just mental health care system and who has access to it? Who decides who is labelled as mad?

The international conference MADNESS: Fighting for Justice in Mental Health takes place on November 25 – 27 at Kunstquartier Bethanien in Berlin. The 28th Conference of the Disruption Network Lab investigates systems of mental health care and support, focusing on prevailing discourses and practices, biases and inequality. It is exploring the possibilities of a mental health system which puts human rights and justice in the centre of its practice. The conference introduces the perspectives of scientists, human rights and social justice activists, artists, doctors and practitioners as well as those closely affected – the people living with mental illness, through keynotes, panels, performance, film screening, workshops and meetups.

What does it mean to have a just mental health care system? Who is deciding who is labelled as mad? Who is telling the story of madness? Who has access to mental health care services? Can we decolonise psychiatry? Different perspectives and positions, such as scientific and social discourses, the medical practice, the fight against profit-oriented health care management, as well as the social, racial and ethnic differences of those affected, will be combined. This conference brings together researchers and practitioners but gives also specific attention to the perspectives and needs of people living with mental illnesses. The goal of the conference is to give visibility and voice to those closely affected, to emphasise the necessity for action in the way this problem is being treated and to think of examples for more humane policies.

The speakers provide critical insights into their activities and positions at the intersection of psychiatry, psychology, activism, art and social justice. Jasna Russo talks about the meaning of justice in mental health and Colin King addresses the institutional racism and structural discrimination within the UK public health care. Wilda L. White discusses the work that must happen outside the U.S. mental health system to achieve justice within the U.S. mental health system, whereas China Mills gives a global overview of the so-called state violence and what can justice in Mental health be. The Friday panel focuses on the structures of inclusive and just mental health support system and decolonising psychiatry, while the art programme and panel on Saturday display the great capacity of the artistic practice to overcome mental health stigma and frame proactive practices.
Concept by Tatiana Bazzichelli & Elena Veljanovska. Curated by Elena Veljanovska. Community & workshops curated by Nada Bakr.