Mental Health Green Paper

Across Europe, approximately one in four people experiences at least one significant episode of mental ill health during their lives. During the course of any given year, up to 30 million people in Europe are thought to suffer from a major depression.

It has been estimated that in England alone the total economic and social costs of mental illness in 2002/2003 was £77 billion. This is broken down into £12.5 billion in health and social costs, £23 billion in output losses and £41.5 billion in human costs (calculated by putting a monetary value on the suffering, pain, disability and distress associated with mental ill health).

In response to the growing issue of mental ill health across Europe, the European Commission has started a process of establishing a strategy on mental health. The Commission’s Green Paper on Improving Mental Health of the Population will launch debate within the European Institutions, Governments, health professionals, stakeholders (such as patient organisations) and research community about the relevance of mental health for the EU, the need for a strategy at EU-level and its possible priorities.

John Bowis is the Rapporteur for the European Parliament’s response to this Green Paper. His Report was adopted by the European Parliament on 6th September 2006.