Mental health: a key challenge for Europe in the 21st Century

The impacts of poor mental health are well documented. Increased awareness of these human and economic costs has not gone unnoticed but the challenge of translating policy plans and goals into actions across Europe remains. Innovative actions to promote and protect mental health need to go beyond health care systems. They can harness resources, goodwill and mutual interests of other sectors. One key area for greater collaboration is in the workplace. Europe’s workforce will need protection to help it retain its competitive advantage in terms of knowledge and skills. It will need to respond to changing dynamics in the global economy. Good mental health will be vital if Europe is to compete effectively with the rest of the world. This means tackling issues such as stress, depression and alcohol harm in the workplace.