Mental health strategy should focus on prevention
Stakeholders want strategy to focus on prevention of mental illness and the reduction of social stigma.
Mental health problems affect one in four European citizens at some point in their life, making this one of the major public-health challenges in the EU. The economic cost is also significant: it represents some 3-4% of the EU's GDP.
The European Commission published a Green Paper, 'Improving the Mental Health of the Population: Towards a Strategy on Mental Health for the EU' in September 2005. The document outlines the relevance of mental health for the EU's strategic policy objectives on prosperity, solidarity, social justice and quality of life and proposes the development of an EU strategy on mental health.
The Green Paper sparked a wide stakeholder consultation on the issue. The consultation closed on 31 May 2006.
The summary report of the responses to the consultation was published on 5 December 2006. A complete list of individual contributions was also made available.
According to the summary report, stakeholders welcome the Green Paper, the majority of respondents backing the development of a comprehensive EU mental- health strategy. The respondents also advice that the emphasis be put on mental- health promotion and the prevention of ill health, as well as on improving the situation of those with mental health problems through reducing stigma and discrimination.
The results of a Eurobarometer survey on Mental Wellbeing were also published on 5 December 2006. The survey examined "the interconnection between physical and mental health, the effects of mental health on society and personal life, and the stigma posed on people having psychological or emotional problems".
As to mental wellbeing, according to the survey, a significant majority (64%) of Europeans had experienced positive and balanced feelings rather than negative feelings in the 4 weeks prior to the survey - 65% had been happy and 63% had felt calm and peaceful.
However, 13% of respondents had sought psychological help over the past year. The results show also that regarding the feelings related to energy/vitality "a substantial share of respondents indicate that they do not have lots of energy and they feel tired, at least sometimes". No clear consistencies between the countries were observed.