Workplace mental health as a major issue of public health agenda and the role of European networks: editorial

Edi o ial Po J Public Heal h 2017;35:67–68 Wo kplace Men al Heal h as a Majo Issue o Public Heal h Agenda and he Role o Eu opean Ne wo ks Luís G aça Na ional School o Public Heal h, NOVA Uni e si y o Lisbon, Lisbon, Po ugal Published online: Ma ch 28, 2018 Luís G aça Na ional School o Public Heal h, NOVA Uni e si y o Lisbon A enida Pad e C uz PT–1600-560 Lisbon (Po ugal) E-Mail luis.g aca @ ensp.unl.p © 2018 The Au ho (s). Published by S. Ka ge AG, Basel on behal o NOVA Na ional School o Public Heal h E-Mail ka ge @ka ge .com www.ka ge .com/pjp DOI: 10.1159/000487878 A saúde men al no local de abalho como uma ques ão impo an e na agenda da saúde pública e o papel das edes eu opeias The Eu opean Ne wo k o Wo kplace Heal h P omo- ion (ENWHP) and he Eu opean Ne wo k o Men al Heal h P omo ion (ENMHP) a e wo majo e e ences o hose in e es ed in building up heal hy and sus ain- able wo k en i onmen s in Eu ope and beyond: policy make s, p ac i ione s, p o essionals, esea che s, educa- o s, employe s, employees, and o he s akeholde s. ENWHP is an in o mal ne wo k o na ional occupa- ional heal h and sa e y ins i u es, public heal h, heal h p omo ion, and s a u o y social insu ance ins i u ions, wi h BKK ( he Ge man ENWHP membe ) playing he ole o sec e a ia un il 2015. These wo Eu opean Ne wo ks also o e impo an websi e ools and esou ces. Wi h he suppo o he Eu opean Commission, DG Heal h and Consume P o ec ion, he ENWHP, es ab- lished in 1996, has ca ied ou a numbe o inno a i e and seminal Eu opean ini ia i es, om 1997 un il now, con- solida ing wo kplace heal h p omo ion (WHP) as a s ong ield o esea ch and ac ion o public heal h a he Eu opean and na ional le el. Some o hose ini ia i es a e also ele an o men al heal h p omo ion (e.g., Mo e Eu ope: Heal hy Li es yles in he Wo king En i onmen [2007/09]; Wo k in Tune wi h Li e [2009/10]; PH Wo k: P omo ing Heal hy Wo k o People wi h Ch onic Illness [2011/13]). A his o ical concep ual documen on WHP was he Luxembou g Decla a ion (adop ed in 1997, upda ed in 2005 and 2007). The membe s o he ne wo k ag eed on a common unde s anding o he WHP concep : “Wo k- place Heal h P omo ion (WHP) is he combined e o s o employe s, employees and socie y o imp o e he heal h and well-being o people a wo k” wi h his expec - ed ou come o be achie ed h ough a iple combina ion o ac ions: (i) imp o ing wo k o ganiza ion and o he wo king condi ions, (ii) p omo ing ac i e pa icipa ion, and (iii) encou aging pe sonal de elopmen . “Hea hy employees in heal hy o ganiza ions” in a knowledge-d i en economy is now an economic, social, and poli ical goal o achie e, no a u opian pos - aylo is ic d eam o an ideological slogan. WHP is pa o o e all co po a e heal h managemen , including manda o y oc- cupa ional and sa e y se ices. Some o he key p io i ies de ined 20 yea s ago a e ongoing: (i) inc eased awa eness o WHP and p omo ion o he esponsibili y o heal h wi h ega d o all ins i u ional and nonins i u ional s ake- holde s, (ii) iden i ica ion and dissemina ion o models o This a icle is licensed unde he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion- NonComme cial-NoDe i a i es 4.0 In e na ional License (CC BY- NC-ND) (h p://www.ka ge .com/Se ices/OpenAccessLicense). Usage and dis ibu ion o comme cial pu poses as well as any dis- ibu ion o modi ied ma e ial equi es w i en pe mission. G aça Po J Public Heal h 2017;35:67–68 68 DOI: 10.1159/000487878 good p ac ice, and (iii) de elopmen o guidelines o e - ec i e WHP. On he ENWHP websi e, a ich oolbox is a ailable, con aining mo e han 400 e ec i e WHP p og ams, me hods (e.g., case s udies, models o good p ac ice), and ins umen s (e.g., ques ionnai es, guidelines, in o ma- ional and educa ional ma e ial) ha ha e been used in p ac ical con ex s in all Eu opean coun ies. Men al heal h, wellbeing, s ess p e en ion and cop- ing, psychosocial de e minan s o heal h a wo k, absen- eeism, young people, women, ageing, ea ly e i emen , and heal h a e now majo issues o he public heal h agenda. Ano he ne wo k in his ield, mo e ecen bu also e y ac i e, is he Eu opean Ne wo k o Men al Heal h P omo ion (ENMHP) es ablished in 2013, as a esul o he P oMenPol p ojec (2007/09), also unded by he Eu- opean Commission. ENMHP aims a e (i) o in luence p ac i ione s, policy make s, p o essionals, and adminis a o s and (ii) o be- come he p emie ne wo k o men al heal h p omo ion (MHP). Membe ship is ee. Acco ding o he ENMHP websi e, P oMenPol goals a e o suppo he p ac ices and policies o men al heal h p omo ion in h ee se ings: schools, wo kplaces, and olde people’s esidences. I o e s impo an esou ces, a ailable online (e.g., MindHeal h, an eLea ning p o- g amme on MHP in h ee se ings: schools, wo kplaces, and olde people’s esidences). P oMenPol p oduced he ollowing se ices and ou - pu s: (i) a Tools Da abase, (ii) Field T ials, and (iii) he P oMenPol Toolki . Richa d Wynne, p ojec manage (Wo k Resea ch Cen e, Dublin, I eland, pa ne o ENMHP), p esen ed a he Lisbon con e ence he Wo kplace MHP Handbook (168 pp.), di ided in o 3 sec ions: Basics in Men al Heal h P omo ion; Topics, Me hods and Tools o MHP in he Wo kplace; P ac ical Exe cises. A sho e sion o he Wo kplace MHP Handbook is now a ailable in English, in Ge man, and in Finnish. The MHP-Hands a e in ended o ha e ei he a “sel -di ec ed usage” (s akeholde s om wi hin o ou side o he se ing access he handbooks and sel -educa e hemsel es using he esou ces a ailable on he websi e) o a “di ec ed us- age”: Men al heal h p o essionals wi h a ela ionship o he se ings p omo e and ain people in he usage o he manuals. The e is a g owing in e es in and conce n abou he bu den o ill-heal h men al heal h, especially in he wo k- place bu also in schools and o he se ings. Fo example, “Heal hy wo k en i onmen s, ac i e heal h and disease p e en ion a wo kplace” was he i le o he con e ence held a he Gulbenkian Founda ion, Lisbon, Po ugal, June 8–9, 2017, o ganized by he Eu opean Commission. Addi ionally, on May 27, 2013, he Wo ld Heal h As- sembly adop ed he Comp ehensi e Men al Heal h Ac- ion Plan 2013–2020. And on Oc obe 10, Men al Heal h in he Wo kplace was he heme o Wo ld Men al Heal h Day 2017. Good o bad men al heal h is mo e and mo e a unc- ion o he se ings in which we li e, s udy, and wo k. The p oblem o knowledge ans e and access o alida e ools and me hods o p omo e men al heal h in wo k- places (bu also in schools and ins i u ional esidences) is now be e add essed by ou public heal h agenda, and we ha e mo e and mo e online esou ces o cope wi h he p oblems, challenges, and oppo uni ies in his ield. Fi- nally, hough equally impo an ly, we know now ha men al heal h is also mo e han he me e absence o men- al illness. Luís G aça, Lisbon, Po ugal