During an evening seminar ‘Toward Europe 2020 – the role of mental capital and well-being’’ organised by Nessa Childers MEP in the European Parliament, mental capital as a resource for smart growth was discussed on. Additionally, European Federation of Associations of Families of People with Mental Illness (EUFAMI) launched a new Action Network – ‘Friends of the Forgotten Children’. EPHA attended this event.
The seminar consisted of two parts: Mental capital as a resource for smart growth and Tackling mental disorders as a contribution to inclusive growth, and was followed by contributions from the European Commission (DG Sanco and DG Research).
prof. Arnold Bakker (President of European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology) focused on burn-out and stress in relation to the economic crisis and tensions on the labour market. Much attention was given so far on optimal social climate, self-efficacy and work environment to contribute to smart growth in the EU.
In addition to that, the importance of workplace, economic policies and their impact on mental health, the EU’s support for initiatives contributing to mental capital at EU and national level, as well as specific gender and informal-carers focus were discussed.
The second part of the seminar aimed at discussing how to tackle mental disorders and to contribute to inclusive growth in the EU, simultaneously. According to speakers (prof. Filip Smit from Trimbos Institute and Mr. David McDaid from London School of Economics Health and Social Care Department), “EU2020 Strategy” insufficiently recognizes health and social services, including mental health disorders. As current and future EU economy needs mentally healthy citizens, the EU policies need to be pro-active in regards to that. It was said that as major cause of early retirement in the majority of the EU Member States, mental ill-health (due to stress, anxiety and depression) seriously undermines the EU drive towards inclusive economic and social growth. Widespread mental ill-health will be followed by wide spread physical ill-health, because the two are very much interlinked.
In reply to that, Micheal Huebel (DG SANCO Head of Unit Health Determinants) stated that mental health and mental disorders are part of the public health competencies of the European Commission and that the European Commission will publish a new Eurobarometer study examining public attitudes towards mental health and civil society mental health initiatives across the EU region.
Ms. Patricia Reilly from the cabinet of DG Research Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn added that mental health remains one of the main policy and research focuses of the Directorate, as well as a global health focus of mental health.
However, it was noted that FP7 funding focuses more on care and treatment than on prevention.
Out of the main issues that were presented, the EPHA staff noted the link between the economic crisis and civil society organisations working in the field of mental health promotion and prevention, ensuring that low socioeconomic and other vulnerable groups would be included in mental health-focused activities (esp. e-health initiatives and in new MS).
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