Abstract Globally and across the European region, mental health conditions (MHCs) are a main driver of disability worldwide and account for a significant share of the disease burden due to a combination of high prevalence, early onset in the life course and broad public health relevant impacts. Effective public mental health (PMH) interventions exist to treat MHCs, prevent associated impacts, prevent MHCs, and promote mental wellbeing and resilience. Different types of interventions are delivered by a range of sectors. However, the majority of people with MHCs remain untreated, far fewer receive interventions to prevent associated impacts and there is negligible implementation of interventions to prevent MHCs or promote mental well-being and resilience. This implementation failure breaches the right to health and results in population scale preventable suffering, broad impacts and associated economic costs. Mental health is increasingly recognized as a major public health priority that demands a cross-sectoral, targeted, and coordinated policy response-extending well beyond the health sector. This includes addressing the determinants of mental health and well-being including individual, social, economic, environmental, and societal factors which are important for both promotion, prevention and recovery from MHCs. Public mental health practice takes a population approach to mental health to improve coverage, outcomes, and coordination of interventions. This supports efficient, equitable, and sustainable reduction of mental disorders and promotion of mental wellbeing of populations. In 2023, the European Commission's comprehensive mental health strategy emphasized the need for such a cross-sectoral approach, commonly referred to as the Public Mental Health (PMH) approach. Despite this growing recognition and the scale of PMH implementation failure, the potential for a coordinated cross-sector policy response to scale up remains largely untapped. Furthermore, there is limited awareness of the mutual benefits the PMH approach can offer across sectors, and of the opportunities it presents for coordinated actions across policy areas. This workshop presents the findings of a public mental health briefing that was jointly produced by WHO Regional Office for Europe and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. This workshop will highlight the impacts of MHCs and poor mental wellbeing, relevant and protective factors and higher risk groups, PMH interventions, the implementation gap and causes, and opportunities for implementing a coordinated PMH approach across policy sectors in order to address implementation failure. The session will also include examples of best practice and policy formulation aligning action across government agencies to implement cross-sectoral public mental health policies and actions. Key messages • Mental health conditions are a major public health burden, yet most effective interventions remain underused - causing preventable suffering, inequities, and economic costs. • A coordinated, cross-sector Public Mental Health approach can close the implementation gap, promote wellbeing, and improve outcomes across populations and policy areas. Speakers/Panellists Juliane Winkelmann European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Brussels, Belgium Jonathan Campion South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK Katherine Polin Berlin Technical University, Berlin, Germany
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