by Júlia C. E S.
You might be wondering… Isn’t Mental Health Awareness Month in May? Well, in Brazil, Mental Health Awareness Month is in January!
Because of that, I’ve decided to share with the OCD online community some amazing projects and initiatives from my country.
I’ll highlight projects related to both OCD and mental health in general. I really hope you take some time to give them some love!
Riostoc: Much like IOCDF, Riostoc is a non-profit that focuses on people with OCD, alongside their friends and family. They host a support group once a month. I have been to their meetings a couple of times and had a great time! You can find them at @riostoc on Instagram.
Pra Preto Psi: It is a project that connects black people to psychologists. Last year, they connected more than 2000 people to professionals. According to the creators, the basis of the project is that psychologists must understand that race is a structuring element of every person’s subjectivity. You can find them at @prapretopsi on Instagram.
Mapa Saúde Mental (Mental Health Map): A team of mental health professionals, with support from Google, created a platform aggregating online and local projects that offer free therapy sessions. Ever since its creation, the Map evolved into multiple maps catering to different minorities. It also created a digital library of content related to mental health. You can find them at their website: https://mapasaudemental.com.br/
Instituto Vita Alere: It is a suicide prevention and postvention institute. It serves as a space for support, treatment, discussion and study. They offer a range of content related to the theme and also host courses for mental health professionals. You can find them at @vitaalere on Instagram.
CVV: Since 2018, all states in Brazil can call 188 and receive free emotional and suicide prevention support.
There are so many more amazing projects in my country. For now, I hope you enjoyed learning about these.
Hey Júlia! Great post!
I am brazilian too and became an advocate last week! So nice to found more brazilians here!
That’s great! You are not the first one! It’s so great to have found people from my country in this journey!