Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-09-05-Speech-2-355"
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"en.20060905.27.2-355"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, this afternoon we discussed a smoke-free Europe. Action by the Commission and the whole of Europe on mental health is even more vital, however. In this connection, I am obliged to the Commissioner for attending to this issue, and also to our rapporteur, Mr Bowis, for dealing with the issue and delivering an excellent report.
One of the main problems regarding mental health is that it is taboo in all societies, and we should ask ourselves why this is the case. Many reasons can be identified, but I shall select just a few of them. Firstly, no doubt we all have a fear of ending up in a similar situation ourselves one day – particularly when we think of the old age lying before us.
Secondly, mind and soul lie at the heart of our humanity; they are something that defines the essence of humanity.
Thirdly, there is no recourse to our beloved mechanistic interpretation of our environment in this field, as this does not function here. This is a phenomenon that causes great suffering not only for the individual, but also for society as a whole.
I have picked out a couple of figures, which make very alarming reading. According to a study by Deutsche Angestellten-Krankenkasse, a German social security institution, there was a 70% increase in the number of psychological conditions in the workplace between 1997 and 2004. Against the trend of falling figures for sick leave over the same period, the number of cases of absence owing to mental ill health shot up by more than two-thirds. Psychological stress now accounts for 10% of all days of absence in the European economy.
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that, whereas in 1990 the three leading causes of global disease burden were pneumonia, diarrhoeal diseases and perinatal conditions, by 2020 the leading causes will be ischaemic heart disease, depression, anxiety disorders and traffic accidents. If we look at the loss of productivity, we can see that this amounts to billions of euros. Studies carried out for the EU-15 – the old Member States – have put losses at EUR 265 billion, or approximately 3–4% of Community gross domestic product.
Europe as a whole is therefore perfectly entitled to ask itself what we can do about this together. Of course, we must bear in mind that Member States are very suspicious of Europe’s powers and responsibilities. Nevertheless, I believe that the added value of European action is extremely important. Mr Bowis detailed that very well in his report. Let us not forget the best practice model, or the more extensive figures, or the enhanced research and development. Our thinking should be oriented mainly towards target groups, to enable us to arrive at a solution and thus prevent the European engine grinding to a halt and the plug being pulled."@en1
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