“Making mental health a political priority for the European Union”: that’s the pledge made by Marcos Kyprianou, EU Commissioner for public health, during the European ministerial Conference of the World Health Organization (WHO) held in Helsinki last week. The figures presented by the EU in terms of mental health especially depression and the number of suicides resulting from it are shocking: almost 60,000 European citizens died in 2004 as a result of suicide or self-mutilation (most in the countries of Northern Europe), a number significantly higher than the deaths caused by road accidents (50,000) and ten times higher than homicides (5300). One out of every two victims of depression attempts suicide at least once, while 15% of those who suffer from chronic depression succeed in taking their own life. The Commissioner, recalling that “too often the mentally ill fail to benefit from treatment or do not ask for help for fear of degrading treatment and discrimination” (the percentage in the various member states varies between 40% and 70%), announced an ad hoc action plan and an EU strategic document on mental health by the summer of 2005.
