Presidency conference

Mental Health: Challenges and Possibilites

10-11 OctoberVilnius, BEST WESTERN Vilnius Hotel

Konstitucijos avenue 14

Co-funded bythe Health Programmeof the European Union

The habit of simplifying health problems to pill and scalpel is still very much alive. But a human being is far too complex to be reduced to that. Under no circumstances mental health should lose our focus. We need to understand that mental well-being of every person is essential to the public welfare.

Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis,Minister of Health (Lithuania)

The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania together with the Lithuanian State Mental Health Center is organizing an EU-Presidency conference „Mental Health: Challenges and Possibilites“ on 10-11 October in Vil-nius. The conference will explore a range of important mental health issues, which were inspired by the European Pact for Mental Health and Well-being and the Conclusions of the Council of the European Union “The European Pact for Mental Health and Well-being: results and future action” from 2011. The event is receiving co-funding from the EU-Health Programme.

About 200 participants are expected to attend the conference including delegates from the Member States and from countries belonging to the European Free Trade Association and the European Union Eastern Partner-ship. Participants from international and national governmental and non-governmental organisations, represen-tatives of national and European agencies that have a vested interest in mental health are also invited.

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.

Mental disorders are on the rise in the EU. Today, almost 50 million citizens (about 11% of the population) are estimated to experience mental disorders, with women and men developing and exhibiting different symptoms. Depression is already the most prevalent health problem in many EU-Member States. Suicide remains a major cause of death. Mental disorders and suicide cause immense suffering for individuals, families and communities, and mental disorders are major causes of disability. They put pressure on health, educational, economic, labour market and social welfare systems across the EU. Complementary action and a combined effort at EU level can help Member States tackle these challenges by promoting good mental health and well-being in the population, strengthening preventive action and self-help, and providing support to people who experience mental health problems and their families.

There is a great need to break the taboo surrounding mental illness, and to empower people with mental health disorders. This requires a strong commitment to addressing stigma and discrimination.

The inclusion of mental health policies as part of other policies is crucial as it leads to a society that is men-tally healthy and relates closely to healthy ageing. Topics of the implementation of the principle of “Mental health in all policies”, mental health of children, youth, working age and elderly people will be tackled. Alcohol abuse and its effects, suicide risk and depression management, stigmatisation and the application of human rights are among the important problems that will be raised. The topics chosen also reflect some of the priorities of the Lithuanian Presidency in the field of health.

10 October is World Mental Health day and this year topic is „Mental Health and Older Adults“. This impor-tant issue will be also discussed during the conference.

MENTAL HEALTH: CHALLENGES AND POSSIBILITIES Experts Conference

AGENDAThursday 10 October 2013, 8:30 to 17:30, Friday 11 October 2013, 9:00 to 16:30

Best Western Vilnius, Vilnius, Lithuania

DAY 1 Thursday 10 October 2013

Time Title Presenter

8:30–9:30 Registration Contact fair (Winter Garden)

Welcome session (9:30–11:00)Glass Hall

Chair: Gediminas Černiauskas,Viceminister of Health (Lithuania)9:30–10:30 Welcome speeches Algirdas Butkevičius,

Prime Minister (Lithuania)

Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis, Minister of Health (Lithuania)

Michael Hübel,European CommissionDirectorate-General Health and Consumers

Matt Muijen, World Health Organization

Bert Johnson,European Federation of Associations of Fami-lies of People with Mental Illness (EUFAMI)

10:30–11:00 Pursuing mental health reforms and well-be-ing through times of crisis: challenges and pos-sibilities. State of play, priorities and perspec-tives in Member States and EU-policies

Michael Hübel,European CommissionDirectorate-General Health and Consumers

11:00–11:30 Coffee breakContact fair (Winter Garden)

Plenary session (11:30–13:00)Glass Hall

Moderator: Jürgen Scheftlein, European Commission Directorate-General Health and Consumers

11:30–12:20

12:20–12:40

12:40–13:00

The macro-dimension: Investing in mental health – contribution to the sustainability of health and social systems, employment and productivity

Interventions and their benefits: evidence-based actions to prevent mental disorders

Mainstreaming mental health and well-being in policies of all levels: evidence and implications for coordinated action in moni-toring, prevention, and early intervention

Mental health systems: Findings from a new European study

Working towards a European framework for action: The Joint Action on Mental Health and Well-being

David McDaid,London School of Economics and Political ScienceEuropean Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (United Kingdom)

Pim Cuijpers,VU University Amsterdam (The Netherlands)

Tadas Leončikas,European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (EUROFOUND)

Chiara Samele,The Institute of Mental Health, Nottingham University (United Kingdom)

José Miguel Caldas de Almeida,Joint Action on Mental Health and Wellbeing (Portugal)

13:00–14:30 Lunch breakContact fair (Winter Garden)

Plenary session (14:30–14:55)Glass Hall

Moderator: Dainius Pūras,Vilnius University (Lithuania)

14:30–14:55 Promoting mental health of European children and adolescents: opportunities are huge if challenges are effectively addressed

Dainius Pūras,Vilnius University (Lithuania)

Parallel sessions (15:00–16:00)Moderators: 1. Danuta Wasserman, The European Psychiatric Association (EPA) Glass Hall2. Regina Labinienė,Ministry of Education and Science (Lithuania), Vladimir Garkov, European Commission, Directorate General Education and Culture Amber Hall 3. Dinesh Sethi, World Health Organization Marble Hall15:00–16:00 Preventing mental health problems in chil-1.

dren and adolescents through child-friendly health systems

Promoting good mental health and well-be-2. ing in educational systems

Preventing cycles of violence by tackling 3. protective and risk factors

Speakers:Ruud Minderaa, European Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (ESCAP)Greta Dubietytė,Lithuanian Schoolchildren’s Parliament (Lithuania)Darius Leskauskas, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (Lithuania)Speakers:Lorenzo Rampazzo,Joint Action WP leader Mental Health and Schools (Italy)Peter Paulus, Leuphana University (Germany)Chris Harrison, European School Heads AssociationSpeakers:Robertas Povilaitis,European Federation of Psychologists’ Associa-tions (EFPA)Child Line (Lithuania)Jan Pfeiffer, European Expert Group on Transition of institu-tional to Community-based care (Czech Republic)Dinesh Sethi, World Health Organization

16:00–16:30 Coffee breakContact fair (Winter Garden)

Report and general discussion (16:30–17:30)Glass Hall

Moderator: Dainius Pūras, Vilnius University (Lithuania)Co-moderator: Robertas Povilaitis, European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations (EFPA)Child Line (Lithuania)

16:30–17:00

17:00–17:30

Reports from the Parallel sessions

General discussion and contribution to the main themes of the conference

Rapporteur from each Parallel session is the moderator of the session

19:00 DinnerRestaurant Terazza (Konstitucijos av. 26)Transportation to the dinner place will be provided.Buses start from hotels Best Western, Congress and Atrium at 19:00.

DAY 2 Friday 11 October 2013

Time Title Presenter

Plenary presentation (9:00–9:30)Glass Hall

Moderator: Jan Pfeiffer, European Expert Group on Transition of institutional to Community-based care (Czech Republic)

9:00–9:30

Creating a compelling vision for mentalhealth and wellbeing in Europe by focusing on Recovery

The patients view on exclusion and stigma. Results of Gamian Europe’s questionnaires to patients of the past years (2010-2013)

Speakers:

Nigel Henderson,Mental Health Europe

Paul Arteel,GAMIAN – Europe

Plenary session (9:30–10:30)Member States debate

Glass HallModerator: Fleur Braddick Public Health Agency of Catalonia (Spain)9:30–10:30 Member States in focus:

Active and healthy ageing from Finnish per-spective

Policy actions: turning the crisis into an oppor-tunity

The role of alcohol use in mental and public health perspective

Psychiatric reform in Greece during economic hardship

Speakers:

Fredrica Nyqvist,National Institute for Health and Welfare (Finland)

Tamás Kurimay, Ministry of Human Resources of Hungary (Hungary)

Aurelijus Veryga, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (Lithuania)

Pavlos Theodorakis,WHO National Counterpart for Mental Health issues (Greece)

10:30–11:00 Coffee break

Plenary debate (11:00–13:30)Glass Hall

I round Moderator: Kristian Wahlbeck, The Finnish Association for Mental HealthII round Moderator: Bernard CaruanaEuropean Federation of Psychologists’ Associations11:00–13:30 Plenary debate EU-policies in focus: the contri-

bution of EU policies to promoting and protect-ing mental health

I roundOverview of community mental health ser-vices across Europe

European Structural and Ivnestment Funds (2014-2020) for the transition from institution-al care to community-based services

IT for mental health

Preventing mental disorders in the workplace: The campaign ‘Healthy Workplaces Manage Stress’

II roundAddressing comorbidities: alcohol abuse and mental health

Suicide risks, depression, the elderly

Do social policies achieve social integration?

Dementia in Atrial fibrillation – an Important and Potentially Treatable New Cause

Speakers:Alfonso Lara Montero,European Social Network

Andor Urmos,European Commission, Directorate-General Regional and Urban Policy

Terje Peetso,European Commission, Directorate-General Communications Networks, Content and Tech-nology

Malgorzata Milczarek,European Agency for Safety and Health at Work

Speakers:Jacek Moskalewicz,Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology (Poland)Danuta Wasserman,The European Psychiatric Association (EPA)

Arūnas Germanavičius, Vilnius University (Lithuania)

John Camm, St. George’s University (United Kingdom)

13:30–15:00 Lunch break

Closing session (15:00–16:30)Presentation of a draft conference conclusions

Glass HallModerator: Gediminas Černiauskas,Viceminister of Health (Lithuania)José Miguel Caldas de Almeida,Joint Action on Mental Health and Well-being (Portugal), TBC15:00–16:00 Presentation and discussion of a draft confer-

ence conclusions tabled by the Lithuanian Presidency

Speaker:Arūnas Germanavičius,Vilnius University (Lithuania)

16:00–16:30 Closing remarks José Miguel Caldas de Almeida, Joint Action on Mental Health and Well-being (Portugal)

Tonio Borg, Member of the European Commission, Health and Consumer

Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis, Minister of Health (Lithuania)

16:30 End of the Conference

Design and layout by PI „Sorre“

Photos from © Vilnius Tourist Information Centre and Convention Bureauwww.vilnius-tourism.lt