Hemofarm Foundation, together with its partners, the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade and the Dorćol Platz Art Commune, celebrated 5 years since the launch of the ’A Cup of Coffee with a Psychologist’ project. The objective of the project is to show the public that mental health must be taken care of in the same way as physical health and that mental health problems are not a personal weakness, but a health problem that can be solved if professional help is sought in time.



In five years, 35 discussions were organized on various problems of mental health and modern times, in which nearly 90 psychologists, psychotherapists and psychiatrists, representatives of relevant institutions and public figures who themselves faced problems or dilemmas during their lives participated. 40 expert blogs were written, and the public's special attention was attracted by conversations about depression, emotional health, burnout syndrome, perimenopause and menopause, prejudices and stereotypes, the mental health of people in a divided society, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of individuals, etc.



’One of the most important ’medicines’ that humanity needs to discover is the one that will free our society from prejudices against the sick. Stigmatization of the sick seriously affects the well-being of patients and their families, which is why projects such as ’A Cup of Coffee with a Psychologist’ are of crucial importance because they speak loudly about what is kept silent, provide support to the individuals and society, and break down prejudices about people with mental disabilities created by earlier generations. Hemofarm, as a pharmaceutical leader in the region, is very active through its Foundation in raising society's awareness of the importance of preserving mental health and better treatment of people with mental disabilities. We will not stop talking about mental health, because the path to a mature and healthy society leads through an educated population, the elimination of stigmatization and the discrimination that accompanies it,’ Ronald Seeliger, CEO of Hemofarm Group said.



’Raising awareness of mental health issues and bringing them closer to a wider audience are priorities in dealing with the stigma and stereotypes that accompany them. The project ‘A Cup of Coffee with a Psychologist’ made it possible to openly discuss mental health issues and thus put these topics in the social focus. As the initiator of numerous initiatives, it is important for the Faculty of Philosophy to be a partner in this project and to continue working on destigmatizing mental problems and encouraging facing these issues in a safe and supportive environment. The project ‘A Cup of Coffee with a Psychologist’ is the best example of public-private partnership, professional support, relevant interlocutors, but also perseverance to take care of health of individuals and society in a responsible way with the aim of their recovery’, Danijel Sinani, dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade said.



’With this project, we wanted to enable people living with mental health problems to know that they are not alone and at the same time encourage them to talk about how they feel with experts. Our task at Hemofarm Foundation and the task of our partners was to work on prevention and encourage people with mental problems to talk to a psychologist, which should not be something to be kept quiet or whispered about but should be a completely natural healing process that can lead the person seeking help to a productive life’, Suzana Đorđević, director of Hemofarm Foundation said.



Videos from the ’A Cup of Coffee with a Psychologist’ discussions have millions of views on social networks, and only one discussion on the topic ’Depression - how does this condition occur and how to overcome it?’ on the social network YouTube has over 600,000 views, which only speaks in favor of the need to talk about mental health more.



The message of the discussion ’A Cup of Coffee with a Psychologist’, which was organized on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the project and dedicated to the topic ‘Youth under pressure - the crisis of the mid-20s’, with the participants Marina Videnović, research associate of the Institute of Psychology of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Belgrade, Anja Stanković from the FIST festival, Ognjen Mićović, an actor and Dragan Ilić, a psychologist and journalist, is that it is always fashionable to be concerned about young people, as well as that there has always been a question in society about where the world is going with such heirs, but that now it is necessary to make an effort in order for society as a whole to get out of the pattern of criticism and hypocritical concern and provide systemic support to young people in their efforts to create a better world.



The next forum discussion ’A Cup of Coffee with a Psychologist’ will be held on Saturday, June 8, as part of the Mental Health Festival in Kragujevac. The festival is organized by the Association of Psychologists and Psychology Students ’Engram’.