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Mental Health and Well-Being
Many factors can affect mental health: genetic predisposition, socioeconomic background, childhood experiences, chronic medical conditions, or alcohol or drug abuse.
Therefore, mental health and well-being are interrelated issues that are affected by policies and actions in a number of areas, including education, health, employment, social inclusion and efforts to fight poverty.
This relationship is reciprocal: without adequate mental health prevention, support and treatment, the risks of poorer education or unemployment increase.
Being mentally healthy means being capable of self-fulfillment, being comfortable building relationships with other people, contributing to community life, and being productive at work. A mentally healthy individual is also able to overcome the normal tensions, pains and setbacks of life.
Therefore, mental health and well-being are interrelated issues that are affected by policies and actions in a number of areas, including education, health, employment, social inclusion and efforts to fight poverty.
This relationship is reciprocal: without adequate mental health prevention, support and treatment, the risks of poorer education or unemployment increase.
Being mentally healthy means being capable of self-fulfillment, being comfortable building relationships with other people, contributing to community life, and being productive at work. A mentally healthy individual is also able to overcome the normal tensions, pains and setbacks of life.
Mental health problems affect about 84 million people across the EU. In addition to the personal suffering, mental health problems also have financial implications for our society. The total costs of mental health problems are estimated at more than 4% of GDP (more than €600 billion) across the 27 EU countries and the United Kingdom.
EU decided to have a comprehensive approach to mental health, as explained in the Commission's guidance document "Healthier Together - EU Non-Communicable Diseases Initiative", released in June 2022.
EU decided to have a comprehensive approach to mental health, as explained in the Commission's guidance document "Healthier Together - EU Non-Communicable Diseases Initiative", released in June 2022.
Healthier Together Initiative
Such a comprehensive approach to mental health is informed and supported by Healthier Together - the Commission’s EU Non-Communicable Diseases Initiative presented in June 2022. This initiative supports EU countries in identifying and implementing effective policies and actions to reduce the burden of major NCDs and improve citizens’ health and well-being, while also reducing health inequalities.
'Mental health and neurological disorders' constitute one of the five key strands addressed by this initiative. In agreement with member countries and stakeholders, the initiative supports the implementation of high-impact actions across the spectrum, from promoting well-being and proactive prevention to social inclusion of people with long-term conditions . The work of the Mental Health Initiative will focus on four priority areas:
Actions on these areas are already ongoing and will continue until 2027. |
The Steering Group on Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Management of Non-Communicable Diseases (SGPP - an expert group with representatives from EU countries’ health ministries) was formally established in 2018 to support Member States in reaching the health targets of the Sustainable Development Goals.
In 2018, the SGPP prioritized mental health as the area for best practice implementation. In May 2019, a pre-selection of best practices was presented to EU countries who then ranked them according to the relevance to their national priorities.
In 2018, the SGPP prioritized mental health as the area for best practice implementation. In May 2019, a pre-selection of best practices was presented to EU countries who then ranked them according to the relevance to their national priorities.
The three practices that received the highest ranking are implemented with financial support via the Third Health Programme’s 2020 Annual Work Plan.
These are:
Work on this started in 2021, with the Joint Action ImpleMENTAL rolling out (elements of) the Belgian mental health system reform as well as the Austrian suicide prevention programme. This action brings a total of 21 countries together (supported by financial contribution of €5.4 million). The depression intervention is being implemented via the European Alliance Against Depression-Best project, in which 10 countries participate, supported by an EC financial contribution of €1.6 million.
These are:
- a mental health system reform focusing on strengthening client-centered community-based services, as developed in Belgium
- a multi-level national suicide prevention programme developed in Austria
- a step-wise intervention programme to tackle depression, developed through European collaboration
Work on this started in 2021, with the Joint Action ImpleMENTAL rolling out (elements of) the Belgian mental health system reform as well as the Austrian suicide prevention programme. This action brings a total of 21 countries together (supported by financial contribution of €5.4 million). The depression intervention is being implemented via the European Alliance Against Depression-Best project, in which 10 countries participate, supported by an EC financial contribution of €1.6 million.
The WHO Regional Office for Europe supports the Joint Action ImpleMENTAL’s efforts as regards training and capacity building, via a contribution agreement with a value of €1 million under the EU4Health 2022 work plan.
Contributing to the European Year of Youth, two new projects aim to improve the mental health of children, young people and their families through the implementation of best practice. The practices concerned are:
The EC financial contribution to this work will be €8 million in total, under the EU4Health 2022 work plan.
Contributing to the European Year of Youth, two new projects aim to improve the mental health of children, young people and their families through the implementation of best practice. The practices concerned are:
- a sport-based support programme to improve life skills and social, psychological and emotional resources among socially vulnerable children and adolescents, and
- a two-step intervention to support mental health and wellbeing of young people and their families in vulnerable situations.
The EC financial contribution to this work will be €8 million in total, under the EU4Health 2022 work plan.
Mental health and COVID-19
Already prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the state of mental health of the population in Europe was a cause for concern. A dedicated chapter in the Health at a Glance Europe 2018 report highlighted that mental health problems affected about 84 million people across the EU. The total costs of mental ill health were estimated at more than 4% of GDP (more than EUR 600 billion) across the 28 EU countries at that time.
The new 2020 Report (check on the side) highlights how, in 2020, the pandemic had already affected many people, both on physical health and on the state of general well-being and mental health. All the institutions have mobilized to try to reduce the social and health consequences, by implementing measures on several levels. A few months after the onset of the pandemic, the department for Health and Food Safety set up a dedicated network space on its Health Policy Platform for health and social stakeholder organisations to exchange specific mental health practice and knowledge related to COVID-19. Co-ordinated by Mental Health Europe, this virtual network includes a focus on the needs of vulnerable groups such as the homeless, people with pre-existing conditions, and older people. The web space also holds a virtual library. |
Action grants are set up to support the implementation of best practices on the ground with direct impact on the effort to tackle mental health challenges during COVID-19.
The EU4Health 2023 annual work programme, totaling €735 790, supports the implementation of best practices on the ground with direct impact on the effort to tackle mental health challenges during COVID-19.
The Commission rewarded community-based initiatives alleviating the mental health impact of COVID-19 already via its 2021 EU Health award. The award ceremony took place in 4 May 2022: prize winning and shortlisted initiatives are presented in a booklet awarded initiatives on mental health impact of COVID-19.
The EU4Health 2023 annual work programme, totaling €735 790, supports the implementation of best practices on the ground with direct impact on the effort to tackle mental health challenges during COVID-19.
The Commission rewarded community-based initiatives alleviating the mental health impact of COVID-19 already via its 2021 EU Health award. The award ceremony took place in 4 May 2022: prize winning and shortlisted initiatives are presented in a booklet awarded initiatives on mental health impact of COVID-19.
Mental health and war in Ukraine
The Commission has mobilised €9 million from the EU4Health programme to help people fleeing Ukraine in urgent need of mental health and trauma support.
More specifically, a €7 million contribution agreement has been signed with the International Federation of Red Cross to directly help people who have fled Ukraine to deal with the trauma they have suffered and offer them mental health support. The EU countries where the Red Cross is working are Poland, Hungary, Romania, Czechia and Slovakia.
Ukraine’s displaced people are also the focus of a €2 million call for proposals from non-governmental organisations for best practices to improve mental health and psychological wellbeing in the migrant and refugee populations. This work started in autumn 2022.
In addition, the Commission offers a range of online courses and other training material on migrant health via the websites of the ECDC’s Virtual Academy and the network Migration and health: training for professionals on the Health Policy Platform.
These courses were developed with the support from the Third Health Programme.
The network Supporting Ukraine, neighbouring EU Member States and Moldova on the Health Policy Platform has been established to combine the efforts of civil society, patient groups and health professionals to meet the medical needs of Ukraine society and of displaced people.
EU financed projects:
More specifically, a €7 million contribution agreement has been signed with the International Federation of Red Cross to directly help people who have fled Ukraine to deal with the trauma they have suffered and offer them mental health support. The EU countries where the Red Cross is working are Poland, Hungary, Romania, Czechia and Slovakia.
Ukraine’s displaced people are also the focus of a €2 million call for proposals from non-governmental organisations for best practices to improve mental health and psychological wellbeing in the migrant and refugee populations. This work started in autumn 2022.
In addition, the Commission offers a range of online courses and other training material on migrant health via the websites of the ECDC’s Virtual Academy and the network Migration and health: training for professionals on the Health Policy Platform.
These courses were developed with the support from the Third Health Programme.
The network Supporting Ukraine, neighbouring EU Member States and Moldova on the Health Policy Platform has been established to combine the efforts of civil society, patient groups and health professionals to meet the medical needs of Ukraine society and of displaced people.
EU financed projects: