What is Self-Help?

The essence of self-help is the mutual help on the base and in the case of identical causes of concern

Self-help means to shoulder its own problems and to find a solution within the framework of its own options

In self-help groups, people are meeting, because they are bound by a subject, suffering from the same illness, handicap or psychological conflict situation. Also relatives (of concerned individuals) can organize in self-help groups.

In Berlin there exists a great variety of self-help initiatives. The spectrum of such activities is far reaching and comprises groups of quite all relevant themes

Approximatively, two thirds are engaged in health related themes, such as: anxiety – alcohol - breast cancer - chronic pains - Colitis Ulcerosa – depression – drugs - diabetes – parents of handicapped children – adult children of alcoholic parents – eating disorder – Hepatitis C – cardio-vascular disease problems – auditory dysfunction - immune deficiency related illnesses – childlessness – cancer – dyslexia – pulmonary emphysema – Mukoviscidosis – Multiple Sclerosis – Neurodermitis – Osteoporosis - Organ transplantation – Parkinson – prostate carcinoma – psychological illnesses – rheumatism – smoking – skleroderma – gambling – hallucinations (hearing voices) – Tinnitus – Death/Mourning – Uveitis – puerperal depression – Coeliac disease – obsessions…