‘It’s ok not to be ok’: lead legislator hails Parliament’s mental heal

“If I told someone that I have depression, they wouldn’t have the same reaction as if I told them I had a physical illness. This report is about changing this mentality,” MEP Sara Cerdas (Portugal/Socialists & Democrats) told Euronews in an interview.

Bringing mental health on a par with physical fitness and tackling the stigma of those suffering from related conditions are at the core of the non-binding resolution approved by the European Parliament’s plenary in Strasbourg this week (12 December) by an overwhelming majority, with 482 MEPs in favour, 94 against and 32 abstentions.

“If you get pneumonia, people check on you every day: they’ll bring you soup, medicines, and everything you need to overcome your condition,” she continued, adding: “When it comes to mental health, this is not the scenario.”

Cerdas, who guided the file through the legislature as rapporteur, feels hopeful that it lays “rock-solid foundations” on the Parliament’s expectations of the European Commission and from the Member States.

The EU executive estimated that mental health issues affected around 84 million EU citizens in 2018. The pandemic worsened the situation with almost one in two EU citizens having experienced emotional or psychosocial problems last year, while the number of people affected by loneliness doubled compared to pre-pandemic years.

Last June, the Commission presented a comprehensive approach to mental health introducing 20 new initiatives and earmarking €1.23b in new funding for prevention and to improve access to high-quality and affordable mental healthcare and treatments.

In the approved resolution, MEPs welcomed the communication as an important stocktaking of all the initiatives the EU executive is doing on mental health.

“But we need more. We need a clear strategy to shed light on a clear path of where the EU should go to work concerning mental health,” added Cerdas.

Such a strategy should feature setting guiding indicators to measure the current situation as well as well-defined goals such as a reduction of suicide in Europe by 30% by 2030, according to Cerdas.

In Europe, suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people aged between 15 and 19 after road accidents.

‘It is ok to cry, it is ok not to be ok’

With their report, lawmakers hope to promote a paradigm shift in societal awareness of mental health.

“I come from Portugal where only a few decades ago it was not ok for a man to cry or to deal with his mental health,” Cerdas said.

MEPs are looking specifically at EU awareness campaigns organised each year by the Commission around a topic, and want 2025 proclaimed as the European year of mental health.

Such a campaign – which was backed by EU ministers in a mental health opinion at the end of November – would not only raise awareness about the topic but would ensure specific initiatives and additional funding, according to Cerdas.

In terms of financial support, the report also suggests creating a specific mission on mental health under the current Horizon Europe and future EU research programme which will run from 2028 to 2035.

In a statement after the vote, the EU advocacy group Mental Health Europe called for greater investment in implementing structural and systemic changes the MEPs have pushed for.

For Cerdas, it is time for research to be split from investigating scientific and biological aspects of mental health only and embracing a better grasp of its societal impact.

“It is important to remove [mental health] from just brain health, understanding that it is also an individual and societal issue,” she said.

The approved report identifies vulnerable groups such as young people, women, migrants, the LGBTQIA+ community, elderly people, and ethnic minorities as preferable targets of actions aiming at improving access to mental health services and reducing social exclusion.

“What we wanted to stress is that at any point in your life, you can be more vulnerable than usual,” she concluded.