UNICEF report boosts MEP Maria Walsh's mental health campaign

A new UNICEF report entitled, ‘The State of Children in the European Union’, reinforces the need for a dedicated EU mental health strategy, Fine Gael MEP Maria Walsh has said. 

As part of the report, which was published yesterday, UNICEF is calling for a comprehensive mental health strategy which MEP Maria Walsh, a leading advocate on the issue at a European level, has campaigned for since her election in 2019. 

It was revealed that approximately 13 percent of young people under the age of 19 in the EU suffer from a mental health condition - with the statistic rising to almost one in five for those aged between 15-19. 

MEP Maria Walsh, Co-Chair of the European Parliament’s Mental Health Alliance and the Coalition for Mental Health and Wellbeing, said the reality of these statistics is a ‘mental health crisis’.

“Suicide is one of the leading causes of mortality for those aged between 15-19 in the EU, accounting for around one in six (17%) deaths. The reality behind these shocking statistics is that we have a mental health crisis impacting Irish young people and our European neighbours”. 

Placing mental health on the European agenda has been one of Ms Walsh’s ‘priorities’ during her term as an MEP. 

“The recommendation from UNICEF for a dedicated mental health strategy to tackle the crisis facing our young people supports my long-running campaign for such an approach. 

As well as her calls for a dedicated EU Mental Health Strategy, the Midlands–North-West MEP has lobbied the European Commission for an EU Year for Good Mental Health. 

Ms Walsh acknowledged that some progress had been made, and said she ‘was glad to see UNICEF’s welcoming of the Commission’s Communication on a comprehensive approach to mental health’.

However, with Irish young people aged 18-24 eight times more likely than older people to have a mental health disorder, Ms Walsh said the ‘the issue is far from being resolved’. 

“There are a number of practical policies that must be taken at both Irish and EU levels. I want to see the integration of mental health into our national healthcare system, with the EU supporting this through funding, guidelines and best practice examples. 

“We must also establish mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of mental health policies at an EU level, to ensure accountability and effectiveness across member states” she concluded.