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On Tuesday 18 July 2023, Luxembourg's Ministry of Health presented the new national mental health plan for 2024 to 2028.
The ministry noted that one in eight people suffer from a mental illness worldwide, according to recent data. The consequences of these diseases can affect all aspects of daily life and affect the entire population, and can thus become an economic burden. To combat this phenomenon, Luxembourg has drawn up a national mental health plan for the period from 2024 to 2028; the Government Council approved the plan on Friday 14 July 2023.
The main objective of this plan is to improve the mental health and well-being of people in Luxembourg, to prevent mental illnesses, to guarantee access to quality treatment adapted to one's needs and to facilitate the social integration of people with a mental illness, paying special attention to particularly vulnerable populations.
According to the ministry, the plan is in line with the objectives of the 2018-2023 government coalition agreement and follows the principles of "recovery", "empowerment" and "social inclusion". It is linked to the mental health strategy of the European Commission, published in June 2023, which includes 20 flagship initiatives to put mental health on the same level as physical health and to ensure a new cross-sectoral and global approach.
The national mental health plan is the result of a collective effort by many actors in the mental health sector and was developed in collaboration with them. The plan incorporates a total of 26 objectives, each including associated measures and actions that fit into the following six concrete fields of action: governance; information system and research; human resources and qualifications; promotion of health and prevention; offer and access to mental health care; particularly vulnerable populations.
The plan is to be considered as a second milestone in the evolution of mental health care, after the first reform of psychiatry, continuing on from the national suicide prevention plan for 2015 to 2019. The vision of the national mental health plan is to create a stigma-free mental health care system, equivalent to the physical health care system and integrated into the health system as a whole.
According to the ministry, this mental health care system will promote cooperation between all actors (national and international) and will provide coherent and transparent coordination. The system will be accessible to all age groups and all levels of illness severity.
The next steps for the establishment of the national mental health plan include its launch, the establishment of a national mental health committee, the implementation of the governance of the plan and the establishment of working groups.
