ARETE was born in august 2005 as a mood and anxiety disorders patients association. In Lombardy, according to data coming from the Mental Health Regional Plan, more than one million and a half persons experience a depressive or anxiety episode during one year. The large diffusion of such kind of disorders makes the situation a real social emergency, in particular for the hidden dimension of the phenomenon. So many times the suffering is buried at home without any consciousness of the illness and sometimes with the incomprehension of relatives and friends. The poor consideration for the pathology invalidating effects in the society concludes a distressing picture causing loneliness and despair for patients.

ARETE will fight against such kind of situation, it wants to make information (info@depressionearete.it) and to foster the consciousness of people who are prey to illness: to improve one’s condition is possible, drugs and appropriate ways of life can produce dramatic benefits. Moreover it is possible to improve the health services for sufferings, a more active interaction with physicians and sanitary operators may produce a quicker and more efficient assistance. Finally one of our aims is to improve one’s human relationship, solidarity produced by our groups is a real surprising effect that gratifies who take part in our activities. Depression has horrible aspects otherwise there is something extraordinary in the shared sensibility among who suffer of this disease. People, different for culture and social class, become similar in front of the illness and help each other naturally.

We decided these values had to be the basis of a no profit patient-directed association with a democratic structure as expressed in our statute. We guarantee the numerical relevance and the territorial presence of our local sections. ARETE was the name we chose, it is an ancient Greek word representing the philosophical concept that the true virtue is the strength to live expressing one’s best as we remember in our motto. We are apolitical not for a lack of civic sensibility but for the self-evident fact that we are working for a common interest joining together all the citizens regardless their political opinion. 

Know ARETE ONLUS reading our leaflet* we use to present our association

* Acrobat reader is available at the website

The regional seat is at via Maspero, 20 - Varese

tel  +39335.1026265   e-mail info@depressionearete.it