Mental health: regions and cities urge more support for community-based initiatives and preventive care

​​Mental health disorders affect around 84 million Europeans (at a cost of 600 billion euros), with significant regional, social, gender, race and age inequalities. At the April Plenary Session of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), local and regional authorities adopted an opinion on mental health, led by Mieczyslaw Struk (PL/EPP), acknowledging their important role in shaping the mental health landscape through the design and implementation of community-focused initiatives and recalling on their support to the 'mental health in all policies' approach. 

A person's chance of developing mental health issues is increased by psychological and biological factors, encompassing emotional skills, substance abuse, genetics, and exposure to adverse social, economic, geopolitical, and environmental conditions. With a good understanding of the specific needs and challenges of their citizens, local and regional authorities play a key role in ensuring that mental health interventions align with the different socio-cultural dynamics of each region.   

In the absence of local and regional mental health data, creating challenges in both prevention efforts and access to the necessary care, regions and cities call for increased research into those disparities in addition to a compilation and evaluation of the most effective local and regional community-based initiatives aimed at eradicating the stigma associated with mental health concerns and fostering mental wellness.  

Regions and cities also state that any action on mental health should be comprehensive and cross-sectoral, and that mental and physical health must be put on a par, financed accordingly and dealt with in a non-stigmatising manner. The CoR delegation to the Conference on the Future of Europe already supported the citizens requests for more action at the EU level in the field of mental health and is ready to participate in the elaboration of actions plans and strategies and to act as advisory body at the EU level.  

As local and regional authorities are committed to providing high-quality, patient-centred and value-based healthcare and because they play a fundamental role in the management of mental health services, they recall that the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights guarantees both the right to receive medical treatment and the right to access preventive healthcare.  

Quote: 

Rapporteur Mieczyslaw Struk (PL/EPP), member of the Pomorskie Regional Assembly, said: “It is high time we start to implement a holistic approach to mental health in Europe, including in aspects such as education, social services, culture or spatial planning. Physical and mental health are inextricably linked and must be treated equally in terms of adequate funding. We need to end the stigmatisation of mental health problems and bear in mind that they can affect any of us at different stages of life. Children, young people and social groups facing discrimination and at risk of exclusion, should be given special attention in this respect." 

Background: 

• Eurostat on mental health and related issues.  
• The United Nations reports that poor air quality is linked with psychological and behavioural problems in childhood, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety and depression. The CoR Green Deal Going Local campaign shows concrete examples of well-designed local programmes protecting nature, improving air and water quality or mitigating climate change.