Brussels, 7 June 2019

Today, three leading organisations in the field of mental health have launched a joint election statement, calling on the European Parliament to take and support EU-level action.

GAMIAN-Europe, representing patients, EUFAMI, representing family carers and The European Psychiatric Association, representing mental health professionals have joined forces to amplify the voice of the mental health sector, calling to better address and improve mental health across the EU.

The statement underlines that action is required as a matter of urgency; mental ill health affects more than one in six people across the European Union in any given year, with costs and consequences that impact individuals, families and carers, health and social systems, society and the economy. Moreover, poor mental health is consistently associated with unemployment, less education, low income or standard of living, poor physical health, adverse life events, poor quality of life and stigma.

GAMIAN-Europe, EUFAMI and EPA maintain that patients and their families should be at the centre of all aspects of healthcare provision, having access to integrated and accessible mental health care and call on the European institutions to ensure that mental health becomes a mainstream element in all EU policies with an impact on health.

They also urge MEPs to join the MEP Alliance for Mental Health to support work towards these objectives.