EU Health and Food Safety’s Post

𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗕𝗲 𝗜𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 Let’s talk about mental health using numbers, because numbers don’t exaggerate. • Between 2020 and 2022, 23.1% of people experienced a mental health disorder. • At the same time, 16.5% reported high or very high psychological distress. ➤ Self-harm remains a serious concern. • 7.5% of people have self-harmed at some point in their lives, and 1.7% did so in the last 12 months. • In just one year, 𝟯𝟳𝟳 𝘀𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀 were recorded, that’s 𝟭𝟯.𝟰 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘀 per 100,000 people. • For Aboriginal communities, the numbers are even more alarming. • The suicide rate reached 38.1 per 100,000, far above the national average. • Substance use trends show rising risk. • 33.2% of people reported risky alcohol consumption. ➤ Illicit drug use is also increasing. • 20.1% of people aged 14+ reported recent use, and among young people aged 15–24, it jumps to 32.8% (nearly 1 in 3). 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝘇𝗼𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱. Globally, over 1 billion people are living with mental health conditions today. Yet, mental health still receives around 2% of total health budgets in many countries. ➤ What does this tell us? Mental health challenges are not isolated cases. • They are widespread, growing, and deeply connected to how our systems work. Hospital care alone cannot solve this. • The data clearly points to early intervention, prevention, community-based care, and culturally safe support. Because behind every percentage is a real person, and real lives. Want to understand these numbers better and see what actions can actually make a difference? Check out the full insights to see how communities, policies, and care systems are shaping real change: https://lnkd.in/dStS8inn #MentalHealth #MentalHealthStatistics #PublicHealth #MentalHealthAwareness #YouthMentalHealth #CommunityCare #HealthcareData

Awareness matters,… but the real gap is implementation: translating evidence into support that is accessible, coordinated, and consistent over time. At VillaRamadas (PT and NL), we focus on person-centred care pathways with structured follow-up, because sustainable outcomes are built between appointments, not in a single campaign 💙

Art Pharmacy was recently featured in The Hemingway Report’s 13 Predictions for the Mental Health Market in 2026, alongside insights from 25 mental health leaders. One prediction stood out: growing demand for non-medicalized, community-based support that addresses root causes like loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection. As social prescribing gains momentum across employers, health plans, and public agencies, we’re encouraged to see connection and community recognized as essential components of population mental health. Read the full article: https://bit.ly/45nV8Mu #ArtPharmacy #SocialPrescribing #CommunityHealth #PopulationMentalHealth #FutureOfCare #MentalHealthInnovation

We’re making progress in mental health – but not yet where it matters most. World Health Organization 2025 data show more countries are integrating mental health into primary care and emergency responses, but we’re still far off global targets and the loudest calls are now for community‑based, person‑centred, rights‑driven care. As a mental health social worker and holistic health advocate, that gap is exactly where practice and policy need to evolve next. Clinical access is essential. But when distress is rooted in poverty, isolation, stigma, trauma, or spiritual crisis, a clinic‑only response will always feel incomplete. Without community connection, social prescribing, peer support, and culturally grounded care, we risk medicalising what is often social and structural suffering. For the next decade, the most important questions are not only “How many people received a service?” but: How much choice and control did people have in their care? Did their function, connection, and sense of meaning actually improve? Were their rights, culture, and dignity actively protected ,not just documented? If we agree that mental health is shaped by intertwined mental, emotional, social, spiritual, and environmental factors, then our systems must be redesigned to reflect the full human experience not just the part that fits inside a diagnostic manual. #mentalhealth

New patient-led research aims to help others cope with dialysis. Grounded in lived experience, this work supports patients in navigating emotional challenges and accessing mental health care when they need it most. Read more: https://bit.ly/49ELmHv

We talk about mental health more than ever before. And yet, the system supporting it feels as fragile as it did years ago. Awareness has exploded. Campaigns, panels, posts, and “mental health days” are everywhere. But when you look closely, very little has changed where it actually matters. Therapists are still underpaid and overworked. There are no clear pay standards. Public mental health infrastructure remains limited. Policy moves slowly, often without consulting people who actually do this work. Access is discussed endlessly, but sustainability is rarely addressed.The mental health movement has done a great job of starting conversations. But conversations alone do not build systems. You cannot run a field on goodwill and passion forever. Awareness without structure creates burnout. Advocacy without policy creates fatigue. And visibility without investment creates a false sense of progress. If we truly care about mental health, the next phase cannot just be louder. It has to be deeper. Better funding models. Stronger regulation. Real support for professionals. Clearer pathways for care. Otherwise, we are left with a movement that looks active on the surface but is quietly collapsing underneath. So the real question is not “Are we talking enough about mental health?” It is “What are we actually building beyond the talk?” I’d love to hear your thoughts. What do you think is missing right now? What can we do next?

UK mental health reforms keep falling short — not because of effort, but because the slow-moving dynamics behind trust, capacity, and policy credibility are invisible. The DIVE framework makes these dynamics visible, shows where to intervene, and helps design reforms that actually work. Fix the leverage points, and the system finally starts moving in the right direction. #MentalHealth #PolicyInnovation #SystemsThinking #DIVEFramework #UKHealth

This article is worth the read for those studying and following advancements in mental health care. It explores the latest advancements in rapid-acting antidepressants and what it means for patients, including faster relief, reduced risk, and more support during their most vulnerable moments. Read it below! https://bit.ly/49rx1hp

This article is worth the read for those studying and following advancements in mental health care. It explores the latest advancements in rapid-acting antidepressants and what it means for patients, including faster relief, reduced risk, and more support during their most vulnerable moments. Read it below! https://bit.ly/3YBHulj

This article is worth the read for those studying and following advancements in mental health care. It explores the latest advancements in rapid-acting antidepressants and what it means for patients, including faster relief, reduced risk, and more support during their most vulnerable moments. Read it below! https://bit.ly/4qdPULO