Balans webbsidor underhålls och utvecklas av:
Webmaster

Kajsa-Lena Svensson
(Bitr. Webmaster)
Ulla Lundström
(Bitr. Webmaster)

FÖRENINGEN BALANS, Sweden

(Swedish Depressive and ManicDepressive Association)

Our objectives are:

•  to offer togetherness and support to those who are depressed, bipolar or closely related  to somebody who is suffering from these illnesses.
•  to create a forum for exchange of experiences and mediation of knowledge between patients, relatives, institutions, hospital staff and medical enterprises.
•  to create opinion for better care, more resources and a more respectful treatment.
•  to work for including relatives and other close connections in the process of healing.
•  to increase knowledge and insights about depression, bipolarity and burnout.

This is Balans

Balans was established in 1997 and has about 600 members (Oct 2007), most of them in the Stockholm area and about 5.000 a day visit our website. There are also some local networks in the rest of the country. Our ambition is of course to cover the whole of Sweden.
Balans is quite a small organisation but can sometimes influence in a wider perspective. For instance Balans has played a key role in creating a larger advocacy network for similar organisations, a “National helpline”, which is a phone line serving suffering people from all over the country having various questions and problems.
Backbone of Balans are the selfhelp groups for different categories of members.
We do take part in education of hospital staff and of course in study groups of patients.
We work through media contacts, seminars and open meetings.
We cooperate with Nothern Stockholm Psychiatry in a coaching project and a project called "Patients as consultants in psychiatry".
Balans has produced a book “Balansgång” (Balancing), which we sell to private persons, hospitals, libraries, etc. The book contains interviews with patients and relatives and also chapters on medication and on therapy.
As organizer of patients Balans mediates views and opinions to the psychiatry through what is called “user revisions” and influences politicians and office bearers in debates and meetings with dialogue. 

Activities

Monthly member meetings, often with an existential theme.
Self help groups in Stockholm as well as in some other places.
Phone and e-mail consultancy five days a week.

Newsletter

Four times a year we distribute latest news to members and other subscribers.

Website

Updated continuously, address www.foreningenbalans.nu

Membership fee

175 SEK (19 Euros) per year (2010). A new member paying his/her fee in November/December keeps the membership during the following year.