from Leros to memory
Initiative for a Museum of Psychiatric History and Patients' Rights
For decades in Leros, thousands of people living with mental illness were subjected to abuse and the harshest form of exclusion.
The Psychiatric Hospital of Leros became an international symbol of marginalization and human rights violations. Today, its abandoned buildings stand as silent witnesses.
We call upon the State to transform the site of the old psychiatric hospital into a Museum with an educational and social mission: a living monument to the dignity and rights of people with mental illness.
The Story
In Leros, the darkest page of Greek psychiatry was written. Psychiatrist-psychotherapist Dimitris Papadimitriadis visits the island, recalls the memory of the psychiatric asylum, and connects its past with today’s shortcomings in mental health care.
The history of Leros does not belong only to the past.
The images of abandonment and stigma continue to haunt mental health care in Greece.
If we do not keep memory alive, we risk repeating the same mistakes. Many we are already repeating: involuntary hospitalizations that remain the rule instead of the exception, patients brought to hospitals in handcuffs, mechanical restraints during admission, chronic patients trapped in hostels without prospects, and a State that fails to invest in prevention and community-based care.
With this initiative, we aim to:
Preserve the historical memory of Leros as an example of institutional violence and neglect.
Establish an international educational center for patients’ rights.
Create a space of awareness and tribute to those who suffered there.
Contribute to the public debate on modern, community-based psychiatric care.
Proposed Educational Activities Based on the Museum
The Museum of Psychiatric History and Rights in Leros will not only be a place of remembrance, but also a centre of learning and social awakening with actions that will spread throughout Greece and internationally.
We propose:
Educational programmes for schools and universities: guided tours, experiential seminars and specially designed educational materials to teach young people the importance of respect, inclusion and combating stigma.
Specialized seminars for mental health professionals: training on deinstitutionalization, community care, and patients’ rights, turning Leros’ history into a living tool of professional and ethical education.
Artistic and cultural initiatives: exhibitions, theater, documentaries, and oral testimonies showcasing patients’ experiences and opening a dialogue with history.
Traveling exhibitions and mobile initiatives: in Greek and international cities, based on the Museum’s material, ensuring Leros’ message reaches far and wide.
Digital platform and archive: digitization of the Museum’s collections, open online courses (MOOCs), and webinars for international access, positioning Leros as a global reference point for education in mental health and human rights.
FOR LEROS
Why It Matters for the Island
Leros, despite its natural beauty and rich history, still carries the heavy shadow of the psychiatric hospital, as well as today’s Closed Controlled Facility for refugees. In public consciousness, the island has often been marked as a “place of exile” and a “warehouse of souls.” This stigma is unjust for its inhabitants, who never chose this role.
The creation of a pioneering Museum of Psychiatric History and Patients’ Rights can redefine the island’s relationship with its past and present. Instead of remaining silent before a wound, it can transform its history into a source of knowledge and awareness. Leros will no longer be associated solely with abandonment but will be reintroduced internationally as a monument of humanity and respect for rights.
At the same time, the Museum will benefit the local community by attracting researchers, visitors, educational programs, and international collaborations, opening new prospects for cultural and social tourism.
In this way, Leros will cease to be a bearer of “stigma” and will become an example: a place that had the courage to turn tragedy into inspiration for future generations.
How You Can Help
Share this initiative on social media.
Propose and organise actions in support of the objectives of the initiative, the modernisation of psychiatric care and patients’ rights.
Add your voice to a story that must not be forgotten.
This is a initiative of our scientific team and is entirely voluntary. We know that it will take time, perseverance and endurance in the face of the State’s selective oblivion. The outcome is not a foregone conclusion; but every voice, every participation, increases the pressure and keeps the dialogue on patients’ rights and best practices open. at psychiatric care.
Subscribe to the initiative’s updates
How You Can Help
Sign the petition.
Share this initiative on social media.
Propose and organize actions supporting the goals of the initiative, psychiatric care reform, and patients’ rights.
Add your voice to a story that must not be forgotten.
Our initiative is entirely voluntary. We know that it will take time, perseverance and endurance in the face of the State’s selective oblivion. The outcome is not a foregone conclusion; but every voice, every participation, increases the pressure and keeps the dialogue open.
Subscribe to the initiative’s updates
Thank you
The initiative has already found allies in institutions, companies and media who believe in the need to preserve memory and promote mental health rights. The effort is supported by:
