Mental Health in All Policies

Knowledge for welfare and health 1
Mental Health in all Policies
Vappu Taipale, professor

29.5.2008
WHOCC3PMH
National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and

Health
We live in a global world

• In Europe, especially in the European
Union, we live in a region which
acquires many gains from globalisation
• Still, the processes of globalisation are
reflected in the economies and policies
of the countries, as well as in the
everyday lives of people
• We have to plan our future, a world
that is sustainable and more just

Health
Where is mental health

produced?
• Mental health is produced by all
policies, all people, all civil society
actors
• It is produced in various settings: in
societies, schools, workplaces, natural
surroundings, sports, hobbies
• Health creates social capital and social
capital creates health and mental health
• Mental health promotion is the best
way to increase mental health
• Mental health requires intersectorality,
interdisciplinarity, interprofessionality –
this makes it so difficult in a world which
operates sectorwise
Health
What is Social Capital:
• Social capital means that trust, official ways of

operating in a society, citizens’ interest groups, social
norms, networks of people and other social structures
facilitate economic development.
• Trust is the core concept.
• Social policies are part of sustainability
Social capital is a concept full of mental health capacity

dimension
Health
The Concept of Sustainable Development

socially just
environmentally economically affordable

imperative
This leads us to elaborate these three aspect closer

keeping in mind the mental health issue
Health
Mental health
• has to be included in all

policies
• is an integral part of all
policies

Health
How do psychosocial factors

affect?
• Mental health has a strong social
element where the emphasis is on
justice
• Psychosocial factors gain
importance with the information
society development
• Psychosocial factors are always
interpersonal, connected with
relations between people
Health
The industrial mode of production gave rise to the concept of life cycle
Childhood and youth were created as two distinctive phases of life.

Youth was a typical construction of the industrial society!
It didn´t exist before referring to everyone, not only to the rich elites.
What about the concept of nuclear family … may it also be a social
construct of the industrial society?
Working age became separated, as well working time and leisure tim
Retirement was an industrial innovation…
Life cycle is changing now; youth is eating up both childhood and early
adulthood
“The crown of life”, third age will last for nearly two decades…

Health
The information society

and mental health

Health
The transfer from a manufacturing society to a

successful and competitive information society
requires a high level of general well-being.

Health
The (future) information

society …
• will require mental
capacities: flexibility,
innovativeness, creativity,
connectivity, social skills,
learning…
• as such it will be a mental
construction
• and the biggest threats will
be exclusion, poverty, mental
disorders and addiction &
Health
substance problems
A sound level of mental

health, high self-esteem,
vitality, resilience and a sense
of coherence in one´s life,
form Europe´s basis of
success.

Health
Environment….
Housing….

Health
Policies....
• Combating homelessness
• Preventing ghettos and marginalisation
• Promoting equity
• Providing safe water, sanitation and shelter
• Taking care of families with children and their needs
• Enhancing accessible environments
All these policies contribute to our mental health

Health
There is no health
without mental health
• Our natural, social, cultural and built

environment contribute to our mental health:
• We need beauty, harmony, stimulation, social

networks, access to nature and silence

Health
• Environmental Policies are an integral part of intersectoral

activities.
• In EU countries the national environmental policies have

different contents; housing, environmental health, local agenda
activities may or may not have their home in the Ministry of
Environment, or the political decision making is located within
some other Ministry.
• However, the challenges are the same: striving towards

sustainable development.
• Fresh air, potable water and safe, healthy food have been more
than hundred years our societal targets.
Health
Education…
training…
science…..
R & D….

Health
• All learning events and the development of

capabilities take place much earlier than
what has been expected.
• A prerequisite for the learning is that it

should take place in affectionate
relationships with adults and other children.
Health
We should be
patient enough to
allow a whole tree
grow up
and allow a whole
human being to
develop

Health
Social policies…..

Health
"People in poor countries live

shorter lives than people in rich
countries so that, if we take
income and health together,
there is more inequality in the
world than if we consider income
alone. While economic
growth is the key to poverty
reduction, there is no evidence
that it will deliver automatic
health improvements in the
absence of appropriate policy"
(Angus Deaton, 2006 WIDER Annual
Health
Social exclusion is heavily affected

/increased by globalisation as it
stands now
Health
Integration into society

helps enhance health
• Both theoretically and

methodologically, health research
has recently increasingly focussed
on cohesion in communities
and societies, people’s
integrative needs and action
models that promote integration.
Health
Social Determinants of
Health:
Poverty, Inequality,
the Causes of the Causes
In rich countries with low
levels of material deprivation,
we have to focus on relative
deprivation rather than
absolute deprivation
This makes the challenge
Health
Work…..

Health
…the future of work

• work is more demanding
• knowledge is capital
• old structures are fading out
• the division between working
hours and free time is
disappearing
• we all live in a 24/7 society
• the time concept is changing
Health
Competence is capital in
the Information Society
Will the IS
• create a new proletariat
• result in wastage by creating incapacity
for work and exclusion
or
• create new policies to reconcile work and
family life
• develop better work ergonomics
• keep older people actively in work
• adapt work for people?
Health
An accessible world /labour market for
everyone
• availability
• accessibility
• affordability
• awareness
• appropriatedness

Health
Innovation policies…

Health
The changing societies and policies
The national science and technology policy was

previously designed to respond to the needs of
internationalising companies
the research policy was designed to support
national universities,
and the welfare policy were considered to
address the needs of citizens.
An innovation policy that is aimed at promoting
current development should integrate all these
policy sectors and also be able to operate in a
globalising environment

Health
Doing, Using, Interacting
The scope of innovation policy will be

expanded
It will cover interaction (DUI, Doing
Using Interacting)
An increasing emphasis is placed on the
user perspective and the need to
develop it
More attention should be focussed on
people as users, consumers, customers
and partners – as innovation policy
players, as mental capital.
To date this
National isand
Research rarely achieved.
Development Centre for Welfare and
Health
Where are the innovation policies?

• innovations are only understood as
relating to technical fields and industry
• innovation policy does not reach
people’s needs and everyday life
• it recognises ageing only as a burden,
and leaves mental problems aside
• mental health is crucial to innovation
activities
• service innovations are necessary to all
care issues
• the National
number Research of social Centre
and Development innovations
for Welfare and
remainsHealth
too modest
New Innovation Policies?
Research & Development policies are

changing all over the world
Innovations, and social innovations as
well, are considered more and more
crucial for the development and
competitiveness of nations
Innovation policy is currently the driver
of information society development.
The policy paradigm is changing
constantly through an evolutionary
process.
Mental health policies are at the center of
futureHealth
innovation policies!
If we can learn something from
current research and projects, it

could be as follows:
•Large-scale policy interventions
are more effective than narrow
programmes targeted at specific
population groups.
• If permanent effects are to be
achieved, political decision-making and
different policies need to operate in the
long term, over several decades even.
• Today’s globalising world is turbulent,
with effects being felt likewise in
countries doing well.
• It’s time to move to interconnectivity
Health
The Eight Dimensions of the Lisbon Scores
Innovation, R&D
Network Industries Efficient and Integrated

Telecommunications Financial Services
Utilities and Transportation
Information Society
Liberalization for All
Completing the Single Market
Reducing State Aids
Enterprise Environment Social Inclusion

Conditions for start-ups Lifelong learning
Regulatory burden Modernizing social protection
Sustainable Development
Environment
Climate change.
Health
There is no health without

mental health
There is no Lisbon Strategy

without social and mental
capital!

Health

Mental Health in All Policies

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Mental Health in All Policies

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Knowledge for welfare and health 1

Mental Health in all Policies

Vappu Taipale, professor

National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and

We live in a global world

National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and

Where is mental health

What is Social Capital:

• Social capital means that trust, official ways of

Social capital is a concept full of mental health capacity

The Concept of Sustainable Development

environmentally economically affordable

This leads us to elaborate these three aspect closer

• has to be included in all

National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and

How do psychosocial factors

Childhood and youth were created as two distinctive phases of life.

Retirement was an industrial innovation…

National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and

The information society

National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and

The transfer from a manufacturing society to a

National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and

The (future) information

A sound level of mental

National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and

National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and

All these policies contribute to our mental health

• Our natural, social, cultural and built

• We need beauty, harmony, stimulation, social

National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and

• Environmental Policies are an integral part of intersectoral

• In EU countries the national environmental policies have

• However, the challenges are the same: striving towards

National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and

• All learning events and the development of

• A prerequisite for the learning is that it

National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and

National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and

"People in poor countries live

Social exclusion is heavily affected

Integration into society

• Both theoretically and

National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and

…the future of work

National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and

National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and

The changing societies and policies

The national science and technology policy was

National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and

Doing, Using, Interacting

The scope of innovation policy will be

Where are the innovation policies?

New Innovation Policies?

Research & Development policies are

current research and projects, it

The Eight Dimensions of the Lisbon Scores

Network Industries Efficient and Integrated

Enterprise Environment Social Inclusion

There is no health without

There is no Lisbon Strategy

National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and

You might also like