FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 16/09/2024
Pia Hauck
European Alliance Against Depression
+49 175 9824 706
contact@eaad.net
New European Project Launched to Tackle Mental Health Challenges and Adapt Interventions for Vulnerable Groups Across Europe
Frankfurt, September 16, 2024 – The European Project “Modular Mental Health Toolbox” (MentBox) officially launches with an event hosted by the Andalusian Health Service in Seville, Spain. Funded by the EU, MentBox aims to bridge the gap between the best practices in mental health care and their implementation across EU Member States.
The project’s primary goal is to identify and adapt effective mental health interventions targeting depression, suicide, and non-clinical distress for vulnerable populations. A digital manual, the Modular Mental Health Toolbox (MH-Toolbox), will guide EU Member States in implementing these interventions. The MH-Toolbox will include evidence-based practices developed in previous and ongoing EU-funded projects and will be tailored for specific vulnerable groups through a co-creation process involving health professionals, ministries, and patients.
MentBox will focus on the mental health needs of vulnerable groups such as migrants, displaced individuals, the unemployed, and, for the first time, the Roma community. The project will develop and test tailored interventions in collaboration with a stable Romani community in Seville, addressing the unique challenges faced by the Roma, including discrimination, social exclusion, and inadequate access to healthcare.
This three-year project will be carried out by a consortium coordinated by the European Alliance Against Depression (EAAD) and four European partners with extensive and multidisciplinary expertise. The Consortium includes experts in mental health, mental disorders, suicide prevention, mental health in the workplace, and public policy: the World Health Collaborative Centre for Mental Health Services Research at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), the Andalusian Health Service in Seville, the Slovene Centre for Suicide Research at the University of Primorska, and the Global Alliance of Mental Illness Advocacy Network Europe (GAMIAN). MentBox is co-funded by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA).
For more information concerning this project, please contact mentbox@uam.es.