Mental health promotion and mental disorder prevention across European Member States: a collection of country stories [antikvár]

PrefacePositive mental health is an integral part of the health and well-being of the citizens of Europe. In the European Union, mental ill health is one of the leading causes of disease burden. Research suggests that one in four Europeans suffer from a mental health problem at least once during their life, and some 58,000 citizens die from suicide every year, more than the annual deaths from road traffic accidents, homicide, or HIV/AIDS. The European Commission with its mandate for public health has a long tradition in supporting mental health. It contributed to the WHO European Ministerial Conference on Mental Health, held in Helsinki in January 2005. Through its Declaration and Action Plan1, this conference created strong political commitment for mental health and established a framework for comprehensive action. The launch of the European Commission's Green Paper on Mental Health2 and the following consultation process (October 2005 - May 2006) support the implementation of this framework. The aim of the Green paper is to stimulate a debate with the European institutions, Governments, health professionals, stakeholders in other sectors, civil society, and the research community about the relevance of mental health for the EU, the need for a strategy at EU level, and its possible priorities. With the Green paper and activities under the EU Public Health Programme 2003-20083, the European Commission seeks to give support to EU Member States in developing mental health. In order to develop infrastructures that will promote mental health and prevent mental ill health, it is important to have a starting point that accounts what is available, and provides information on existing programmes and policies at the country level. The Directorate-General for Health and Consumer Protection of the European Commission therefore encouraged the initiative of the IMHPA Network for Mental Health Promotion and Mental Disorder Prevention to assess the situation and to collect available information on prevention and promotion in mental health.This report presents a first overview, a snapshot of mental health promotion and mental disorder prevention across Europe describing the available policies and underlying challenges and areas for future development. It constitutes a valuable contribution to building a base line of the situation of mental health promotion and mental disorder prevention across EU Member States, and facilitates the identification of possible areas for future action. As it stands it can already be a first step contributing to the consultation process at the community level and supporting Member States with a first, although not exhaustive, overview of prevention and promotion in mental health across Europe. I thank all those involved in the preparation of this report for their significant efforts and the leadership of the IMHPA Network in this work.Robert Madelin Director General for Health and Consumer Protection