As part of the process for development of the consensus papers, the governmental representatives from the Member States have been invited to provide, where available, examples at the national level of action, initiatives, policy and priority setting in the 4 priority areas (Prevention of Depression and Suicide; Mental Health in Youth and Education; Mental Health in Workplace Settings, and; Mental Health and Older People). In several Member States, mental health has become one of the top priorities of public health policies, triggered by a growing awareness of the prevalence of mental disorders in the population, the importance of mental health and their far-reaching health and economic consequences.
On January 15th, 2008, a meeting was organised by DG SANCO with counterparts from European Member States to inform participants of a proposed Mental Health Pact as the follow up to the European Commission’s Green Paper on “Improving the Mental Health of the Population”.
A second meeting with Member States representatives took place in Luxembourg on 14th May, 2008, to discuss progress towards the High Level conference and to examine the drafts of the consensus papers prepared on the 4 priority topic areas.
Examples of action submitted by Member States, outlining implemented successful policies or initiatives can be accessed below by clicking on the desired country (listed alphabetically: Member States of the EU, Candidate Countries and Other European Countries).
Additional information on the situation of mental health in the Member States can be found in the EC webpage: “Mental Health Briefing sheets- Facts and Activities in Member States”