IMHPA I and II- Implementation Mental Health Promotion Action (2003-2005)

Duration

1st phase: 24 months, from 2003 to 2005; 2nd phase: 2005 - 2007

Summary

Strong evidence has demonstrated that mental health promotion and mental disorder prevention work across the lifespan providing cost-effective outcomes. Although in EU Member States mental health promotion practices and policies exist, many of the programmes implemented across EU Member States have not undergone sufficient evaluation to be certain of their impact on mental health. Countries are in need of information on effective practices and guidelines for effective policy and programme development and implementation, and their potential health, social and economic outcomes. Moreover, in general, there is still little integration of mental health promotion within the health care system. The challenge we face is to help countries to address mental health promotion and prevention with comprehensive country-based strategies that facilitate and make implementation feasible at the policy, practice and primary health care levels, bringing promotion-prevention and care/treatment into balance.

Objectives

• To ensure and sustain a European 'Platform for mental health promotion (MHP) and mental disorder prevention (MDP)' which will provide tools and information on MHP and MDP infrastructures, practices, policies, training and health impact assessment for mental health across Europe;
• To develop and disseminate evidence-based MHP and MDP strategies across Europe and to facilitate their integration into countries' policies, programmes and health care professionals' daily clinical work;
• To develop a standardised internet database of evidence-based mental health promotion and mental disorder prevention programmes and policies;
• To develop a training manual for primary health care professionals to include mental;
• To develop a European Policy Action Plan for mental health promotion and mental disorder prevention.
• To develop and disseminate evidence-based mental health promotion (MHP) and mental disorder prevention (MDP) strategies across Europe and to facilitate their integration into countries' policies, programmes and health care professionals' daily clinical work. (2nd phase).

Outcomes

• 1st phase outcomes: The set of tools for health professionals, practitioners and policy makers will lead to future countries' feasibility and accountability for the development and implementation of actions to promote mental health and prevent mental disorders in Europe. The final product of this phase is the report: 'Mental Health Promotion and Mental Disorder Prevention across European Member States: A Collection of Country Stories'.
• 2nd phase outcomes: The 2nd phase of the project built on expanding the work of previously EC funded mental health projects and stimulated sustained information and action for mental health promotion and prevention in the European region. The project aimed to achieve its goals to provide evidence base policy and practice information through the development of interconnected strands:

-a database of available country infrastructures in MHP and MDP;

-a database of MHP and MDP intervention programmes their outcomes and cost-effectiveness;

-a network of training available in Europe;

-the publication of country profiles to illustrate the situation of MHP and MDP across Europe;

-the development of tools for Mental Health Impact Assessment;

-an economic model to estimate of the costs of implementation of MHP and MDP programmes and policies;

-a dissemination strategy to improve MHP and MDP across Europe including a European conference.

Funded by

European Commission, DG Health and Consumers

Ministry of Health, Netherlands

Ministry Of Social Welfare and Health, Finland

Department of Health of the Government of Catalonia, Spain