Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-09-05-Speech-2-342"
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"en.20060905.27.2-342"2
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"Mr President, I should like to thank both the Commissioner, for an excellent Green Paper, and Mr Bowis for his report, which has added even more to what was an excellent standing start. Thank you, John. Your particular interest and feeling for this subject is inspirational to many of us here.
Health services and healthcare are individual Member State competences, but under Article 152, we in Europe have a mandate as regards promotion, prevention and the dissemination of information. That is exactly what this debate on the Green Paper can do: ensure that we open up this whole area, focus on the major problems of stigma and discrimination and exchange best practice and epidemiological figures on this area.
Commissioner, you mentioned that the figures do not show the real burden of the disease of mental health. Because of the stigma and discrimination, many do not access treatment and help. I would fully agree with you. In fact, I would seriously question our data. I would say that they reflect probably half – being generous – of what the real burden of the disease could actually be. Most employees with acute or chronic depression, for example, hide it from their employers for fear of the adverse impact on their careers. Therefore, raising awareness, changing attitudes and, above all, exchanging best practice is an enormous contribution we can make here to this most important area.
The figures are startling: 18 million people across the EU suffer from severe depression; 58 000 of our citizens commit suicide every year – roughly equivalent to two or three small towns in any rural area being obliterated every year. Ten times that number attempt suicide. One in four of us is likely to experience mental health problems at some point in our lives and over 27% of adults in Europe are affected by mental health problems every year. Depression and anxiety disorders, including stress and eating disorders, are the most common mental health problems experienced. Studies estimate, frighteningly, that by 2020 neuro-psychiatric disorders, with depression at the top of the list, will be the highest-ranking cause of illness in the developed world. A major portion of that will be caused by the ageing of Europe, which will pose a particular challenge.
Mental ill health is preventable and treatable. We need to encourage early intervention and ensure that, if possible, as was suggested by my colleague Mr Bowis, we look again at legislation on discrimination to see if we can include discrimination against those with mental health problems as part of that package. We need to do all we can with the competence we have. Unfortunately, with the European Constitutional Treaty not moving as some of us would have hoped, our competence is fairly limited. However, that does not stop us joining up the dots in the relevant areas of European law that exist at the moment. Above all we must open up this subject and be inclusive to those who are suffering in this particular area.
Ignoring this problem and not providing the facilities and treatment that are needed costs Europe three to four per cent of our GDP per year.
Thank you, Commissioner, for your work and, above all, thanks to my colleague Mr Bowis for his excellent report."@en1
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