About 58,000 people commit suicide every year in the EU and about 10 times that number attempt to take their own lives.
A hearing on mental health in Brussels yesterday was told that one in four people in Europe experienced at least one significant episode of mental ill-health during their lives. During the course of a year, about 18.4 million Europeans aged between 18 and 65 are also estimated to suffer from a major bout of depression.
Prisoners are among those most at risk of mental ill-health, with 40 per cent estimated to have some mental disorder.
The economic costs of mental ill-health are put at 3-4 per cent of the gross domestic product of EU member states. About 85 per cent of spending on mental health goes on maintaining large institutions.
Fine Gael MEP Avril Doyle, who was chairing the meeting on a proposed new EU policy on mental ill-health, said public authorities needed to listen to those affected to learn how to deal with it. "If we are serious about getting to grips with mental health, then we need to really listen to those affected - people living with a mental illness, and families and carers of people with mental illness."
The public hearing at the European Parliament heard a number of recommendations for a proposed new EU policy on mental health. These include treating people suffering from mental disorders with dignity; encouraging employers to introduce policies for mental health at work; and encouraging EU states to work together to implement strategies to reduce suicide, particularly among young people.
The hearing also pinpointed ageing as one of the greatest challenges in mental health.