News | ENMHP

Positive Evaluation of the IPS model for the employment of people with mental health difficulties in Ireland

Wynne Richard — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 11:55:10 GMT

Mental Health Reform report on a large scale pilot of the IPS (Individual Placement and Support) model for employing people with enduring mental health difficulties that took place between 2015 and 2017. This model provides targeted employment support to clients to prepare them for and to support them in paid employment. Results from the project were positive, with 33 out of 95 people obtaining at least some paid employment during the 2 year period of the project. These and other findings form the project evaluation show that meaningful paid employment is possible even for people who have not worked for many years once appropriate supports are provided.

DG Employment publishes guidelines on mental health at work

Wynne Richard — Tue, 19 May 2015 10:27:58 GMT

DG Employment has just published guidelines on mental health at work as part of the results of a recent study involving Prevent, Work Research Centre, University of Nottingham, the London School of Economics and TNO. This study examined the case for workplaces doing more to prevent and manage mental health issues of their employees. It examined the current legislative provisions in the area and examined the case for introducing further legislation. As part of this work, new guidelines have been developed which integrate occupational health and safety, mental health promotion and absence management approaches to mental health issues. In doing so, they look to extend the field beyond a sole focus on workplace factors and to include mental health issues that arise from outside of the workplace. The study has also produced an interpretive note on mental health issues at work. This provides an interpretation of currently existing legislation in the area with a view to pointing to the ways in which it can be used as the basis for wider action on mental health at work. The project has also produced a final report which integrates these documents as well as providing a useful summary of current literature and an assessment of potential scenarios for the future. The reports from this project can be downloaded from: http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=716&langId=en

MENTA50+ Online Serious Games: Learning to take actions for mental fitness and wellbeing in older age

Lang Gert — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 10:26:33 GMT

This online serious games website brings you new teaching and training methods for maintaining mental fitness of people 50 plus based on online games. This online serious games website brings you new teaching and training methods for maintaining mental fitness of people 50 plus based on online games.

MENTA50+ Handbook. Learning to take actions for mental fitness and wellbeing in older age. A toolkit for learners and facilitators on mental fitness

Lang Gert — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 09:47:39 GMT

The aim of the MENTA50+ project is to contribute to the mental fitness of an ageing society. This handbook “Learning to take actions for mental fitness and wellbeing in older age” was developed 2013 and 2014 for interested stakeholders who intend to promote mental fitness and mental wellbeing of older people. The handbook serves as a theoretical and practical background for various user groups on an individual and organisational level. It will help to deliver activities for older people on mental wellbeing and fitness. The handbook also serves as the background information for a 30 hour health promoting course activity. The aim of the MENTA50+ project is to contribute to the mental fitness of an ageing society. This handbook “Learning to take actions for mental fitness and wellbeing in older age” was developed 2013 and 2014 for interested stakeholders who intend to promote mental fitness and mental wellbeing of older people. The handbook serves as a theoretical and practical background for various user groups on an individual and organisational level. It will help to deliver activities for older people on mental wellbeing and fitness. The handbook also serves as the background information for a 30 hour health promoting course activity.This handbook includes a detailed definition of the framework and contents based on mutual consensus of project partners and their national advisory boards. More specifically, the handbook structure is: 1. Introduction to the handbook 2. Generic section: Why promote mental fitness in ageing societies? 3. Specific section: How to promote mental fitness of older people? The generic section provides a short introduction to the topic of cognitive stimulation and also has some reference to social interaction. The specific section is designed as a Toolbox which gives practical examples on how to promote mental fitness, presented through five modules. These five modules are: - Mental fitness - Stress management and mental fitness - Social networks and mental fitness - Nutrition and mental fitness - Physical fitness and mental fitness Each module is briefly introduced theoretically. Moreover, for each module eight different exercises and activities are described in detail so that a facilitator can put them into practice with older people. Finally, there is a short glossary of important terms and bibliography of references included in the handbook.

Workshop on mental health in the workplace

Wynne Richard — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 11:56:23 GMT

The consultative workshop on mental health in the workplace took place in Brussels on the 24thy June. More than 40 people from 10 countries took part and they heard presentations on topics ranging from the legislative situation governing mental health in the European workplace, guidance for employers, the costs and benefits of taking action and possible scenarios for developing the area. Participants came from a range of backgrounds and included the Social Partners, the Commission, EU agencies, NGOs and public health organisations. The project is due to produce final versions of scenarios, an interpretative document on legislation and guidance for employers by the end of the summer. All ENMHP members will be informed of when these are available.

Informative Guide on Dementia

Tilia Bousios — Thu, 19 Jun 2014 13:29:00 GMT

When someone you know is suffering from a form of dementia it can be easy to lose sight of what you originally loved about them. Dementia is a devastating condition which can result in uncharacteristic, often violent outbursts and memory loss which can turn the sufferer into a shell of the person they were. However, with the right care and support, you can preserve a great deal of their personality.

Support includes communication as well as medical support. Although it’s vital to keep up with the right medication, talking to them is also incredibly important. In order to not frustrate them and provoke an outburst, speak to them in simple terms without being patronizing. Ask them questions about themselves but ensure it’s only one question at a time so that they don’t become confused.

Spotting their signs of discomfort can also go a long way in maintaining their mental and physical wellness. Make sure they’re not sitting or lying in the same position for an extended period of time, pay attention to the temperature in case they become too hot or cold, and always check if they’re hungry or thirsty.

If a member of your family suffers from dementia, this informative guide can provide you with information and advice on how to support them and make them comfortable.

Workshop on mental health in the workplace

Wynne Richard — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 13:40:26 GMT

A workshop on mental health in the workplace will take place in Brussels on the 24th of June. The workshop is part of a European Commission project, funded by DG Employment. The study aims to analyse the suitability of the EU-OSH legal framework in its current form, and to evaluate the relevant national policy measures and instruments for mental health specific risks in the workplace. The workshop will present: • The results of an expert study • A guidance document on mental in the workplace foe employers • An interpretive note on legislation The workshop is part of a consultation process with key stakeholders. Obtaining your opinion is an important part of the research process and the workshop sessions will allow you to comment on the materials. With your help and expertise, we can work towards a better understanding of the policies on mental health in the workplace and on improving the tools for employers and stakeholders at workplace level. The language of the workshop is English. You can register via www.amiando.com/workshopmentalhealth. If you have any questions, contact: Veronique De Broeck Prevent veronique.debroeck@prevent.be

How can employers promote good mental health? Live discussion

Tilia Bousios — Tue, 20 May 2014 12:18:28 GMT

Health and social work professionals experience the highest rates of work-related anxiety, stress and depression of any field. Join our panel to discuss what managers and colleagues can do to support staff in these sectors

Social care and healthcare are consistently ranked as among the most stressful fields to work in – perhaps due to a combination of the difficulty of the work itself, budget cuts, a high turnover of employees, and staff shortages. Statistics from the Health and Safety Executive show that, between 2009-12, those in health and social work professions experienced the highest rates of work-related anxiety, stress and depression of any field. Then there are the mental health issues triggered by the nature of social care and healthcare jobs, such as vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue or burnout.

There are signs that the situation has worsened in recent years, as resources have got smaller and caseloads larger. The 2012 State of Social Work report from the British Association of Social Work showed that 77% of social workers find their caseloads unmanageable, while 85% had experienced notable cuts to services in the previous 12 months.

Aside from the ethical obligation that employers have to ensure the wellbeing of their staff, be it physical or mental, there are also financial considerations. Employee absence due to stress costs the economy a huge amount of money each year. In an era of shrinking budgets, it is something that the health and social care sectors can ill afford, and an issue that must be taken seriously.

So, what can health and social care employers do to help reduce the number of employees affected by work-related mental illness, and support those affected? And if you work in the sector, what are the methods you can use to help self-care? We’ll be discussing these issues with a panel of experts on Friday 16th May between 12 – 2pm (BST).

Major new Europe-wide report on mental health produced by IMH

Tilia Bousios — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 10:10:00 GMT

A major new report into mental health across Europe has been published by a consortium led by Dr Chiara Samele, an independent researcher working on behalf of the Institute of Mental Health. The report was launched on the 10 October (World Mental Health day) at the Lithuanian Presidency Conference.

In December 2010, the Executive Agency for Health and Consumers (EAHC) of the European Commission's Directorate General for Health and Consumers commissioned this project to provide an up-to-date profile of mental health systems across European Members States and other countries, with a focus on mental illness prevention and mental health promotion activities. This was to inform the European Union's work within and between Member States and other countries and provide a further platform for future EU work in the field. The report comprises: a review of the relevant European literature;

a review of the relevant European literature;
a series of 29 country profiles (EU Member States and Norway), and analyses of these;
suggestions for strengthening systems to support prevention and promotion;
economic and social benefits of investments in prevention and promotion;
existing monitoring indicators to assess the quality of mental healthcare;
future plans for prevention and promotion in Member States and other countries;
discussion and policy recommendations for Member States and the European Commission.

For a copy of the report please visit the Institute of Mental Heatlh website:

Learning to take actions for mental fitness and wellbeing in older age (MENTA50+)

Lang Gert — Wed, 06 Nov 2013 09:46:11 GMT

The overall aim of the MENTA50+ project is to respond to the challenges of an ageing society through promoting increased activity of older people, by providing them a supporting framework and developing materials which reflect a holistic approach in giving solutions. The project consortium shares the belief that the key to respond to these challenges is to empower both the final end-users and also facilitators and providers who are important mediators to reach the target audience as well as to bridge between them and decision makers. The message of the project: “Better (mental) health can lead to living your life more actively” and vice versa “Active lifestyle leads to healthy ageing” reflects the association between active ageing and mental health, which the project undertakes to prove and support. Consequently, this results in communicating the self-responsibility and the capability of the individual to take actions for his healthy and active later life! The project aims to reach these aims by: 1. Calling for action by addressing both providers and older adults (and secondarily decision-makers) and involving them in the procedures. 2. Developing a manual with a holistic approach 3. Developing online serious games 4. Providing a course curriculum as a model for further realisations of the programme The project consortium is composed by 4 Universities, 1 Research Institute of Red Cross and 3 adult training providers which are: University of Malaga (Spain), TREBAG Ltd. (Hungary), Research Institute of the Red Cross (Austria), Università delle LiberEtà des FVG (Italy), University of Chester (United Kingdom), IDEC Business Consulting (Greece), European University of Cyprus, and Modi'in Municipality Multi-Disciplinary Center (Israel). This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Closing conference for ENWHP PHWork initiative

Wynne Richard — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 15:37:30 GMT

The conference in Brussels will conclude the 9th European Network for Workplace Health Promotion (ENWHP) initiative “Work. Adapted for all. Move Europe”, focussing on promoting healthy work for employees with chronic illness (Public Health and Work, PH Work). Chronic conditions and diseases have a substantial impact on the labour market and working life. This urges the need for effective job retention and workplace-based return-to-work (RTW) strategies and interventions, as a means of preventing employees with a chronic illness of moving into disability or early retirement. The PH Work project contributes towards the implementation of effective workplace health practices within corporate policies of enterprises in Europe

Say it forward anti-stigma campaign uses truth to break the chains of stigma

Wynne Richard — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 11:46:45 GMT

Say It Forward 2013, an email and social media anti-stigma campaign that educates people about the reality of mental health conditions. SayItForwardCampaign.org

‘Santiago Declaration’ on the state of the economy and health announced

Wynne Richard — Mon, 26 Aug 2013 14:10:07 GMT

The results of a high level conference which took place in Santiago de Compostela in July 2103 have just been launched. The conference reviewed the evidence in relation to the impacts of economic change on health and concluded that current responses to economic pressures ignore these impacts at the costs of storing up short and long term health outcomes. The ‘Santiago Declaration’ outlines these impacts and urges political leaders to act to prevent these impacts and to promote a more integrated and humane response to the problems of economic restructuring and unemployment.

Final report on the economics of workplace mental health promotion

Evi Kostakou — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:08:00 GMT

The Executive Agency for Health and Consumers has just published the final report on the economics of workplace mental health promotion.

The Executive Agency for Health and Consumers has just published the final report on the economics of workplace mental health promotion. Written by the Matrix consultancy from the UK in collaboration with a multinational consortium of partners, this report summarise the available evidence in relation to:

•   Trends in workplace mental health and illness
•   The economic impact of mental disorders
•   Mental health promotion and mental disorder programmes
•   The role of health and social welfare systems

The report finishes with an analysis of the potential economic contribution of mainstreamed programmes.

This report provides the most up-to-date and comprehensive review of the area and comes to the conclusion that the economic impact of MHP programmes is almost uniformly positive, especially where they are targeted to people who have had some kind of mental health problem.

Lancet Study Documents Impacts of Financial Crisis on Mental Health

Tilia Bousios — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 11:26:00 GMT

A new report in The Lancet has shown that the financial crisis has resulted in increases in levels of depression. This is due to a combination of rises in unemployment and reductions in social welfare and health services.

The study found that Greece, in particular has been affected negatively in terms of mental health suicide rates and physical health indicators.

Find out more at:

http://www.thelancet.com/series/health-in-europe