Mental health community services

Background

A Eurobarometer survey has revealed the increasing impact of mental health issues on Europeans: 46% of respondents reported having experienced an emotional or psychosocial problem in the past 12 months, 89% agreed that it was important to promote mental health, while 25% reported that one of their family members had experienced problems in accessing mental health services.

The EESC shares the aims and objectives of the European Commission’s comprehensive approach to mental health, which puts mental health on par with physical health by introducing 20 flagship initiatives and €1.23 billion in funding from different financial instruments. The EESC has also previously adopted an opinion on Measures to improve mental health which supported (among others) the development of human-rights-based, person-centred, recovery-oriented, community-based mental health systems that prioritise the person’s empowerment and active participation in their own recovery.

This opinion seeks to generate a debate and put forward proposals with a view to reducing the disconnect between what is said and what is actually done when it comes to providing mental healthcare and social services. It also aims to collect good practices and compare EU countries with respect to their human rights approach to mental health care. Efforts should be in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and with recent WHO guidelines in this field.

Key points

The EESC:

• believes that mental health literacy for the whole of society is needed, both to fight stigma and to facilitate an early intervention and diagnosis of mental health conditions
• considers that relevant policies should aim for an integrated mental health system based on cooperation among the sectors of education, employment, social care and mental health care
• believes empowerment and support for self-representation are key to ensuring the full participation of people in what concerns them and to co-producing strategies and programmes. This involves the planning, design, provision and evaluation of care. It should be accompanied by technical and financial support for forms of self-management

The text of the draft opinion can be found here.

Additional information

Section: Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship (SOC)

Opinion number: SOC/799

Opinion type: Own-Initiative

Rapporteur: Pietro Vittorio Barbieri

Date of adoption by section: 3/9/2024

Result of the vote: 76 in favour/1 against/0 abstentions

Date of adoption in plenary: 18/9/2024

Result of the vote:   in favour/ against/ abstentions

Contacts

Press officer: Leonard Mallett

Tel.: 00 32 2 546 93 37

Email: Leonard.Mallett@eesc.europa.eu 

Administrator: Valeria Atzori

Tel.: +32 2 546 87 74

Email: Valeria.Atzori@eesc.europa.eu