The World Health Organisation emphasises the fundamental importance of access to a high standard of mental health support:
“Mental health is a basic human right for all people. Everyone, whoever and wherever they are, has a right to the highest attainable standard of mental health. This includes the right to be protected from mental health risks, the right to available, accessible, acceptable, and good quality care, and the right to liberty, independence and inclusion in the community.” (1)
EFPA President Prof. Dr Christoph Steinebach notes
"Human rights made concrete in the Sustainable Development Goals are an important compass for evidence-based psychology in prevention, counselling, psychotherapy, and rehabilitation.”
In observing the occasion EFPA will emphasise 7 points relating to mental health and its social determinants, relating to: commitment to mental health in all policies; mental health as a core part of societal crises responses; community-oriented services; mental wellbeing in the workplace; the impact of climate change on mental health especially for the young; training standards and regulation; and equality of access including the digitalisation (2).
1 in 6 people in Europe are affected by mental health-related challenges (3) and it is a priority to keep this topic in central focus and to take an integrative as well as comprehensive approach to ensure that the many stakeholders in this space, including those with direct experience, are given the platform they deserve.