Europe announces development of a future mental health strategy

The European Commission develops a new Mental Health Strategy (link in Spanish) focused on  promoting prevention and treatment of psychological disorders in the Member States. Sources close by Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission indicate to a “commitment” by the European Parliament and national governments to strengthen policies for research and approach, although they stress that the plan is in early stages. Von der Leyen herself stressed, in a recent speech to the deputies of the European Parliament, “the need to excel in protecting the mental health of citizens in these difficult times”.

Related News

Forbes names top 10 innovations in 2023 mental health

To come up with a serious overview of the ten innovations in mental health expected in 2023, the French Forbes interviewed seventeen leading experts in digital solutions for mental health. For millions of people concerned around the world, those features are aimed at providing a more precise mental health, one that is more personalized, preventive, and participatory. Here are the findings: 1: Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Metaverse. “Particularly used in situations of phobias, post-traumatic stress disorders, addictions, eating disorders, or the need for relaxation, TERVs (therapies by exposure to virtual reality) are democratizing healthcare services, due to efficiency and non-drug approach”. 2: Web3 “The first interest here lies in the protection of health data, in that web3 guarantees control of it to users and patients, unlike web2, which is based on exchanges of flows that can be exploited for commercial purposes”. 3: Connected objects “Portable and ambient, these polymorphic sensors will indeed soon be usable to observe in real time almost all the patient’s parameters and constants in real time and in real life, behavior and environment” 4: Facial recognition “The visual observation of patients during a consultation or during a therapy makes it possible to extract digital markers in addition to conventional biological markers. From their behavior, additional information on the state of mental health of patients is thus deduced”. 5: Voice recognition “The analysis of the patient’s speech and voice (speed, spontaneity, hesitation, etc.) proves to be very useful in helping practitioners to ensure attentive and close monitoring. It is an easy to collect, inexpensive, and non-invasive signal” 6: UX Design “Because the people concerned are going through a difficult period and are looking for support, it is essential that the solutions show a good psychological understanding of the colors, the cognitive load, and that the courses are thought of as real positive routines”.  7: Social Networks “Often singled out for their sometimes harmful effects on mental health, “social media” platforms nevertheless have a major role to play in the democratization and change of perception of certain mental disorders” 8: Medical Neurostimulation “Here, we are talking more specifically about rTMS (Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation). This medical therapeutic act aims to modulate the metabolism of certain areas of the brain to improve the symptoms of neuropsychiatric pathologies such as depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders, or neuropathic pain”. 9: Chatbots (or conversational agents) “As soon as chatbots become more sophisticated and use conversational artificial intelligence bricks, their potential is increased tenfold. Natural language processing and generation allow freer and more complex exchanges. Thus, chatbots can serve as first-level psychological support”.  10: Digital therapies or DTX “It is fundamental to specify that they are not destined to be autonomous, but well integrated into a broader care ecosystem”

EEA: Health risks from climate change increase

As a result of the climate crisis, health risks in Europe and other regions of the world are likely to increase. In a new report, the EU Environment Agency EEA warned that more Europeans will suffer heat waves or infectious diseases if climate change is not addressed, according to the report by Stuttgarter Zeitung (in German). The Copenhagen-based EEA examined how climate change affects health and well-being in Europe in its report. The EEA focused on the effects of high temperatures and climate-related infectious diseases. Climate change will result in diseases such as malaria and dengue fever spreading further north, increasing disease burdens. Heat waves can become an increasing danger because they become more frequent and severe as a result of climate change. According to the EEA, they were already responsible for 86 to 91 percent of all deaths from extreme weather and climate events in the member states between 1980 and 2020. Unprecedented heatwaves, such as those seen this year, pose the greatest direct climate-related health threat to Europeans, the EEA said. Impacts of climate change, such as floods or insect plagues, have a significant impact on global health. Insect-borne, water-borne, and food-borne diseases are increasing exponentially. In addition, there is a risk of further pandemics. It is likely that new outbreaks will occur. Global warming is causing many animal species to seek out new habitats due to the fact that mankind is invading more and more animal habitats. In this way, diseases could spread more easily to humans.

New digital platform launched to destigmatize mental health in Arab world

Arab mental health stigma is being addressed through a newly launched digital platform. Houna offers information, resources, and support groups in Arabic to help tackle taboos surrounding the issue. The founder of Houna, Sheikha Majda Al-Sabah, told Arab News that Arabic mental health resources are lacking. Researching anything in Arabic is difficult. – Houna is a non-profit initiative that cares for mental health and acts like an aggregator and takes all the people that need help in terms of mental health and connects them to people that provide it. she said. Houna was founded by philanthropist and mental health advocate Al-Sabah with the goal of helping individuals suffering from depression, anxiety, abuse, eating disorders, addictions, or thoughts of suicide. In addition to providing information, Houna can point people to relevant support groups offering live counseling sessions, while also raising awareness of mental health issues. “We truly believe that support groups are the best way to take care of mental health,” Al-Sabah said. The platform works on the principles of inclusivity, respect, confidentiality, credibility, and integrity. It provides resources written in Arabic and English for people of all ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, and nationalities in the Middle East. In addition to podcasts, articles, webinars, and online events, the data includes the latest information on mental health disorders, symptoms, and treatments. Houna also offers regular mental health support groups as well as direct access to 150 licensed therapists and medical professionals.

All News

Willum Þór: The question remains if our healthcare system is sustainable

On January 1st, Iceland took over the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. This intergovernmental organisation plays an important role in promoting innovations, health data integration, and cooperation between all major stakeholders in the Nordic healthcare. The Icelandic Health Minister elaborates on his vision to future health in the Nordic region, the Nordic strengths, Iceland’s plans for the Presidency with regards to health innovations, and the coming collaboration with Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies

CIFS ran an all-day session at the Week of Health and Innovation (WHINN) in Odense

Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies ran an all-day session at the annual Week of Health and Innovation (WHINN) in Odense, Denmark. CIFS’ program attracted over 40 experts from health and data organisations. We presented strategic foresight and futures studies in the health sector, concepts that are used to reimagine the future of the health sector, such as the Humanome and decentralised clinical trials. Also, we had a panel discussion on the newly started Phase V project on decentralised clinical trials, where CIFS is a contributing partner

New HIMSS book out on blockchain in healthcare

The HIMSS Series has a new book on blockchain in healthcare. “Blockchain in Healthcare: Innovations that Empower Patients, Connect Professionals, and Improve Care” is the title of the book. According to the book’s authors, Vikram Dhillon, John Bass, Max Hooper, David Metcalf, and Alex Cahana, blockchain technology may hold the greatest potential in healthcare. Some of the first use cases in medical payments, electronic health records, HIPAA/data privacy, and drug counterfeiting have been explored by early pioneers. There is still much work to be done in order to automate the complexities of today’s healthcare systems and design new systems that are focused on trust, transparency, and aligning incentives. In this book, Metcalf, Bass, Hooper, Cahana, and Dhillon have assembled over 50 contributors, including early adopters, thought leaders, and health innovators. They tell their stories and share their knowledge. The videos and transcripts provided by many authors and contributors humanize the technical details and abstract aspects of blockchain. Using the fundamentals of blockchain, the authors curated a collection of future-oriented examples that build on early successes. After a brief introduction to the fundamentals and the protocols available, as well as early blockchain efforts specific to health and healthcare, the authors discuss the promise of smart contracts and protocols to automate complex, distributed processes and some of the early consortiums that are exploring the possibilities. Throughout the book are examples and use cases, with special attention given to the more advanced and far-reaching examples that can be scaled at an industry-level. In addition, a discussion of integrating blockchain technology into other advanced healthcare trends and IT systems – such as telemedicine, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, value-based payments, patient engagement solutions, big data solutions, medical tourism, and clinical trials among many others – is presented. The final section provides a glimpse into the future using blockchain technology and examples of research projects that are still in labs across the globe.