Finland – September 2005

First of all, we give our thanks to Pirkko Seppi who with a great deal of effort, organized our trip and made it an unforgettable event.  Pirkko came to the US to write about us and the Anne Sippi Clinics which I began many years ago and in fact opened the clinic in Los Angeles in 1978.  She interviewed my wife and I and also the current therapists and owners of the Anne Sippi Clinics, both in Los Angeles and in Kern County.  The results of her interviews were published in two Finnish magazines that apparently stimulated a great deal of response and we were pleased to accept the seven presentations that were forthcoming. 

However, prior to our arrival in Finland, we stopped over in London to do a Consultation with an English patient.  His family had requested this and we were pleased to accept the invitation.  The person had been diagnosed as having schizophrenia and after a long flight from the US we arrived in London and began seeing him, almost immediately. 

This man had a long history of mental illness but what we saw was a non verbal person with a desperate need for human contact.  However, he was not about to trust us and we spent hours with him trying to break down his wall of silence which we did, to some extent.  But we felt a great deal of warmth and empathy for this man who had given up hope to change his life. 

We discussed the issues with his relatives who happened to be present and we agreed to return to the UK early next year (2006). 

We then proceeded on our way to Finland and landed in Helsinki where we were met by Pirkko Seppi and a driver who took us to Tampere.  I think that it is important to tell you that this was our fourth visit to Finland, where we had worked, making presentations and treating a Finnish patient.  We have good memories of the Finnish people and it was good to return. 

Tampere was our first stop; it is, in the middle of Finland.  We had been there before and it and was good to see the area again. 

Our first presentation was done 17 September in a facility called Muotialan asuin-ja toimintakeskus which simply means the Center of Supported Flats for schizophrenic patients.  We toured the Center and spoke with a resident in her apartment and was deeply impressed, not only by the attractiveness of her apartment but most of all this woman’s attitude that changed as she became aware of herself as a person with a future and not someone considered to be a hopeless so called, chronic patient.  It was very stimulating to us because we were aware of the fact that as young as she is, she had spent years in and out of the hospital overwhelmed with medication and left isolated in the hospital without any sense of future or direction. 

This supported living style independent of any restrictions with the exception that these people act in a way that is responsible.  This was very important because it told us a story that given the opportunity people can live freely if they are seen as individuals and not as patients with a history.  We thought and expressed our respect, not only for this person, who fought for freedom, but the Finnish government that supported it. 

Our next presentation was 20 September at a facility by the name of Sopimusvuorisaatio which is the Finnish word for a Rehabilitation Center with housing and different activities for patients.  This was a rather large place, with many individuals not only living there but involved with activities that were creative and supported their growth towards freedom.  They worked as cooks, kitchen helpers, and we had the benefit of eating one of their well prepared meals and also a number of other activities, including computers, art work, cleaning work, office work, and many other worthwhile activities that gave these individuals a sense of purpose.  We were very much impressed by their warmth and by their willingness to share with us their experiences.  Again, this is one of their support systems that are provided by the Finnish government.  Since these individuals were engaged in useful and productive activities, there were no signs of mental illness.  However, we knew that all of the people who lived and worked there were ex-patients out of a psychiatric hospital. 

On 21 September our next presentation was in Helsinki where we did a presentation at Mielenterveyden keskusliitto.  The person that we met there named, Timo Peltovuori, was the Director of the Patient’s Central Organization with units all over Finland.  There I gave a talk on what I thought treatment was and what I thought it should be and it was well received and we heard that the talk had been recorded and sent to the units all over Finland.  We felt good that my points of view were respected.

Next presentation 22 September Ltamerikeskus, Kellokosken juhatalo was in fact a public workshop that was meant to address individuals who worked professionally in the mental health system.  This was done in a city called Kelloski where I had given other presentations in the past and treated a patient at the psychiatric hospital located there.  The hospital itself, where my wife and I worked with this male patient was a typical psychiatric hospital whose primary focus was on the biological methods of treatment.  However, in this workshop, there were four presenters myself included who spoke of their experiences in the field of mental health and we felt that they were very worthwhile progressive ideas.  There were a large group of mental health professionals there and the workshop lasted till early evening.  We thought that it was a fine representation of different points of view that stimulated the audience who were curious about new directions in treatment. 

The next presentation was 26 September at Hyvanmielentalo which is an activity center for patients and families in a city in the northern part of Finland called Oulu.  The audience was composed of professionals, family members and other interested individuals including writers who were writing stories about the meeting.  We went from Tampere to Oulu by train, it was quite a distance, took us five hours to get there however, it gave us the opportunity to see some parts of Finland that we had not seen in our other visits. 

In the audience in Oulu, there was an individual by the name of Marcus Herva who told us that he was a patient at the center and we a had brief discussion about his condition and we have been in contact with him and his psychiatrist since then and he has in fact, written a brief paper on his experience which is posted on the website under Special Edition.  Should any of you be interested he has his email address is on his paper and he would be pleased to hear from you.  We found him interesting and very intelligent and were happy to offer whatever we could.  Oulu is a very attractive city, the people are warm and the experience was positive for us. 

The next presentation was 28 September at Omaiset mielenterveystyon tukena which is the organization for patient’s families in Tampere.  We met with them and their leaders and were deeply impressed by the dedication of the leadership and the progressive ideas that the families and also the leaders had in reference in helping the participants in the organization establish a healthier and richer lifestyle.  It was simply another great experience on our journey in Finland. 

On 29 September we did a consultation with a private patient who came from Stockholm, Sweden to visit her sister and who asked us to see her, which we did several times and found that this woman who was heavily medicated but still coherent and very sensitive and angry person because of the abuse she suffered at the hands of her ex-husband.  She lived in an apartment in Stockholm and went to a program at the Fountain House in Stockholm and her sister wanted to persuade her psychiatrist to reduce her medication which prevented her from enjoying whatever time she had that was free of the symptoms of her condition. 

The Fountain House as you should know, began in New York City, many years ago, its intent was to help patients with schizophrenia who lived there find work that was with purpose and gave them a sense of accomplishment.  The Fountain House according to my information has many copies in Europe and other parts of the world and should be a good example of the kind of treatment and respect that these individuals deserve to receive. 

On 30 September we went to Pitkaniemen sairaala which is a central mental hospital in Tampere and met its Director, Dr. Klaus Lehtinen a distinguished psychiatrist who worked with Yro Alanen in Turku, Finland which at one time was a very creative part of the Finnish treatment direction.  Our meeting was very rewarding we spoke a long time about the changes that this good doctor wanted to make and the resistance to these changes.  However, he was patient and persistent and determined to make these changes. He took us to some wards where we learned what changes had taken place.  We were glad to know that there are individuals, pioneers as it were, who are willing to develop new concepts of treatment with the understanding that what we have is not good enough, even the best of what we have, because treatment today should not be the treatment of tomorrow, that includes, medication, psychotherapy, and psychosocial rehabilitation.  We found that one of the reasons why treatment has not succeeded enough is because of the attitude and the stigma of the public and the professional world.  It has occurred to me that perhaps more progress could be made if these individuals in need were the receivers of warmth, love and respect by individuals who are not necessarily professionals.  However, that is a story in itself. 

We wish to say, that we were impressed by what we experienced in Finland and hope that we could see that in other parts of the world as well. 

Why is it, the WHO states that individuals in third world countries do better than individuals in some of the richest countries?  I leave that up to you to answer.  However, let me add one thing in reference to that, these people in those third world countries are not isolated, they are part of the world around them.