Mental health policy and practice across Europe: an overview

206 Mental health policy and practice
their implementation and outcomes, and the sustainability of effective practices
at the local and national levels (WHO 2004c).
To meet these requirements, national policies should be based on building
partnerships between relevant stakeholders, promoting capacity-building and
training to develop expertise, and developing resources and infrastructures that
facilitate policy-making, programme development and implementation, and
the provision of preventive services (WHO 2004e; Jané-Llopis and Anderson
2005).
A case example of engaging stakeholders
The mobilization of stakeholders can be developed at country and European
levels. An example of an initiative to support development for mental health
promotion is the IMHPA Network, the European network for mental health
promotion and mental disorder prevention (www.imhpa.net). Co-financed by
the European Commission, the network has the participation of 29 European
countries and several European organizations and related networks. To support
dissemination and implementation, and to stimulate partnership and action
nationally, the IMHPA network’s country focal points are building country
expert groups or coalitions that involve mental health actors at different professional
levels. The purpose of such country groups is to exchange information
on mental health promotion and prevention of mental disorders, to build
cooperation and to stimulate the development of the field. One of the initiatives
undertaken by these coalitions is an exercise to map capacity in mental
health promotion and mental disorder prevention at the country or regional
level. Country expert groups have gathered information systematically on the
available infrastructures, policies and resources for prevention and promotion
in mental health (www.imhpa.net/infrastructures-database). Information
includes, for example, availability of policies for mental health, training programmes
for professionals, identification of key stakeholders and evaluation
initiatives across countries. All the information has been collected in the publication
Mental Health Promotion and Mental Disorder Prevention Across European
Member States: A Collection of Country Stories (EC 2005b). The information
depicted in the report helps increase awareness of what is available, can support
the coordination of initiatives, and can be used to overcome the barriers to
successful development and implementation of mental health promotion
(Jané-Llopis 2005).
Conclusions
Mental health promotion and mental disorder prevention have been proven to
lead to better health and to social and economic development (WHO 2004b,
2004c). An integrated policy framework that includes tackling prevention and
promotion in mental health, inside and outside the health sector, can be efficient
in decreasing mental health burdens and in improving the mental health
of all.