Cross Policy Mental Health Projects Summit
December 07, Brussels
SUPPORT discussed the possibility of hosting a summit of mental health projects with Commission Services in summer 2007, and a preliminary meeting of projects attending the IMHPA conference in Barcelona was held on the conference fringe in September.
Projects were updated on progress in policy development and the possibility of networking projects and involving project outcomes in policy making was discussed. Project leaders present were content that SUPPORT arrange a summit meeting and a date was set for a two day summit shortly before Christmas, with the meeting held in the Berlaymont Building in Brussels.
Commission Services staff from DG-SANCO and DG-Research along with PHEA joined representatives from twenty projects from different policy areas and programmes. Research Framework projects from FP5 and FP6 joined past, present and emerging Public Health Programme (03-08) projects, a transnational EQUAL project and the Mental Health Europe project on social exclusion and mental ill health funded by the DG-EMPLOYMENT initiative on Transnational Exchange of Good Practice in Social Exclusion.
On the first day participants received an update on progress towards the Mental Health Pact, and there was an opportunity to ‘equilibrate’, allowing everyone to come to a similar understanding of progress, and to ask questions. Veronique Bernard from DG-Research gave a presentation on the opportunities for mental health in FP7, and Stephan Van Den Broucke of PHEA presented a logic model for categorising projects in the public health programme.
Thematic Discussions
Key discussion sessions will be structured around four ‘domains’ or themes. In each there were brief presentations from key projects, followed by discussion.
Mental Health Throughout Life, concentrated discussion around young people and schools, but which also began to consider what might be done and what may already be happening in terms of promoting mental health in ageing populations, and at other key life stages.
Presentations were heard from the CAMHEE project, the CHAPAPs project and the new SCMHE project, all funded through the Public Health Programme 2003-2008.
Social Exclusion And Vulnerable Populations considered mental health specific actions on social exclusion, as well as some of the wider inequalities loci, and aspects of the experience of mental illness, including stigma and discrimination. It also included actions focusing on specific vulnerable groups including prisoners, some migrant groups, and ethnic minorities.
Presentations were heard from the DG-EMPLOYMENT Transnational Exchange Project Good Practice In Preventing Social Exclusion for People with Mental Health Problems, from the HELPS project and from the EUPRIS project.
Reducing Suicide and Common Mental Disorders covered actions targeted at reducing the incidence and burden of common mental disorders, and understanding and reducing rates of suicide and deliberate self harm.
Presentations were given by the MONSUE project and by the award winning EAAD Project.
Mental Health and Working Life considered all aspects of mental health in the workplace, including both mental health promotion and the needs of workers who experience mental illness.
Presentations were given by the FP6 project PRIMA-EF, the EQUAL project C2E2, and an overview of projects undertaken by the European Network on Workplace Health Promotion.
Cross Policy Discussion
On the second day there was a session that allowed general discussion about how best projects activites could promote and develop working across thematic areas.
In this area there were presentations from two projects under the FP6 Scientific Support to Policy strand, DataPrev and ProMenPol, as well as a contribution from the MHEEN II project in that session.
Presentations given at the event are available below.