This document discusses several key points regarding social policies and mental health: 1) Mental health is shaped early in life, with half of all mental disorders starting before age 15. Stable home environments, nutrition, stimulation and parenting can lead to good developmental outcomes. 2) Many determinants of mental health are outside the health sector, such as family struggles, economic hardship, low education, and social exclusion. 3) The Mental Health in All Policies (MHiAP) approach aims to systematically consider health implications across sectors to improve population health and equity. Key policy interventions discussed include parenting support, access to childcare, employment programs, and poverty alleviation.

1. Social policies and
mental health
CRISP policy forum
Glasgow 12.12.2017
Kristian Wahlbeck
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation
programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 690954

2. Mental health is shaped early in life
Half of all mental disorders start before age 0f 15

3. 4.10.2017

4. NIH/NIDA: A child’s first eight years
are critical for substance abuse
prevention
4.10.2017
“There is strong
evidence that a stable
home environment,
adequate nutrition,
physical and cognitive
stimulation, and
supportive parenting
can lead to good
developmental
outcomes.”

5. • Going upstream: Structural
determinants of mental health
Poverty
Income inequality
Gender inequality
War and conflicts
Social exclusion

6. 4.10.2017

7. 22.11.2017
Most of the mental health determinants
are outside the health sector
-families at struggle
-economic hardship
-low education
-social exclusion
-vulnerabilities
Launch of School of Public Health /
Wahlbeck
7

8. 25.11.2016 Policies in economic crises
Social determinants
of mental health
Policy
action
Mental Health in All
Policies
8

9. Mental Health in All Policies (MHiAP)
Health in All Policies is an approach to public policies
across sectors that systematically takes into account the
health implications of decisions, seeks synergies, and
avoids harmful health impacts in order to improve
population health and health equity.
It provides a framework for regulation and practical
tools that combine health, social and equity goals with
economic development, and manage conflicts of
interest transparently.
25.11.2016 Policies in economic crises9
www.mentalhealthandwellbeing.eu

10. 25.11.2016 Policies in economic crises10
Policy level interventions
Parenting support
Access to child day care
Youth guarantee
Active employment policies
Poverty alleviation
Debt policies

11. WHO:
The mental
health effects
of economic
crises can be
offset
by the right
policy measures

12. Social welfare mitigates the effects
of macro-economic crises
• Economic downturns result in smaller deteriorations in the mental health
of the population in countries with strong safety nets
• In the Nordic countries, health inequalities remained stable and suicide
rates diminished during financial and economic crises in (Finland and
Sweden 1990-93) and Iceland (2008-11)
Uutela 2010, Wahlbeck 2012, Asgeirsdottir 2014
• EU data indicate that unemployment does not increase suicide if per
capita spending on welfare programmes is above approx 200 €/year
Stuckler 2009
25.11.2016 Policies in economic crises12

13. Intergenerational
transmission of
mental health
problems is
prevented by
parenting support
Risk of mental disorders in the offspring
of parents with mental disorders is reduced
by 40% by preventive interventions
Siegenthaler et al. JAACAP 2012

14. Universal access to good quality child
day care
Child day care centers were set up in Nordic countries to enable mothers to
access labour market. Purpose has since shifted toward supporting child
development and reducing social inequalities.
In times of economic and financial stress of families is reflected in parenting
style and mental health of children. Retaining right to child day care in spite of
parental unemployment is an important protective factor to reduce
transgenerational transmission.
Solantaus 2004
25.11.2016 Policies in economic crises14

15. Income-to-needs ratio = poverty line = 1
Internalizing
problems
Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), N=75296 (Zachrisson & Dearing, 2014)

16. Successful mental health actions build
on intersectoral collaboration