On Wednesday 12 April 2017, the symposium Mental Health in Europe: Promoting Equal Opportunities and Social Participation, was held at Thon Hotel in Brussels. The meeting gathered delegates from various health industries and organizations, academics and MEPs to discuss the prevention, detection, and treatment of mental health difficulties. Among other key topics of discussion were: exploring innovative approaches to prevent and handle mental health issues in the workplace, promoting cross-sectoral cooperation, exploring ways to increase the visibility of mental health issues in the society, determining how to improve the accessibility of existing support services and building strong partnerships with relevant stakeholders in the public and private sector.
The meeting provided an excellent platform to discuss prevention and treatment of mental health disorders and exchange on best practice interventions. It also raised the importance of promoting equal opportunities for people with mental health problems, in particular in the workplace. For EBC it was an opportunity to showcase the Value of Treatment for mental and neurological [Brain] Disorders research project and highlight preliminary findings and forthcoming evidence-based recommendations with regards to early intervention. « Not Myself today », a flagship initiative of EBC was also highlighted.
Key speakers of the meeting were:
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Julie Ward, Member of the European Parliament
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George Szmukler, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry and Society Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience King’s College London
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Aagje Ieven, Secretary General, EUFAMI
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Dr Inge Neyens, Senior Researcher, LUCAS KU Leuven
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Maria Nyman, Director, Mental Health Europe
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Chris Nas, Senior Policy Advisor, Department Trimbos International, Trimbos Institute
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Martin Jefflén, President, EUROCADRES
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Rene Keet, Director, Community Mental Health Service Noord-Holland-Noord
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Joanna Hofman, Research Leader, RAND Europe
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Jo Loughran, Director of Operations, Time to Change
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For more information on the event, including the full program, click here.