Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-09-05-Speech-2-337"
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"en.20060905.27.2-337"2
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"Ladies and gentlemen, as Albert Camus once said: 'Losing your life is not a big deal. But seeing how your life is losing its sense and how your existence is losing its purpose – that is unbearable. It is impossible to live without purpose.'
In this constantly developing world, more and more people become disenchanted with themselves and others, are experiencing stress, see no purpose in life, are unable to face new challenges and solve the problems they face. Now, we are increasingly seeking out the specialists, psychologists and psychiatrists that we avoided a decade ago. There is no shame in admitting the need for help. Unfortunately, people who ask for help are still stigmatised by society.
10 September is World Suicide Prevention Day, and 10 October is World Mental Health Day. Is it not paradoxical that we are forced to draw society’s attention to such painful problems each month?
It is hard to admit that the number of people suffering from mental illness is increasing even at a time when mental healthcare is seemingly improving. The increase in the number of suicides is catastrophic. Every 40 seconds, someone in the world commits suicide, and every 3 seconds someone attempts to commit suicide. Lithuania, my country, loses more than 1 500 people each year to suicide, and sadly this ranks us first in all of Europe, leaving behind even Russia and other post-Soviet countries.
We obviously cannot disregard the current situation. Immediately after the Ministerial Conference in Helsinki, Lithuania started drafting its national mental health policy, which will be soon approved by Parliament. Furthermore, mental health has been established as a priority within national policy. It is one of four areas that will receive Structural Funds for the health sector. We realise that we must develop community-based services as an alternative to permanent care institutions, thus solving the issues of human rights in a modern way.
It is impossible to suffer in silence, alone with one's own grief; that is why we need to rally our efforts to solve the problems of mental health. I believe that the EU’s Green Paper 'Improving the mental health of the population' is the first important step in pursuing a common solution. It is not only treatment that matters. For the first time we are speaking about the promotion of mental health, illness prevention and recovery. We must also share information and best practices with our colleagues from other countries and develop information exchange networks.
We have finally realised that solving these problems is not merely the province of specialists. Society and every one of us individually must take responsibility. 'With understanding, new hope', the slogan of World Suicide Prevention Day, embodies the hope of those who are not indifferent to the suffering of others and the hope that society will come to the aid of those in distress."@en1
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