On the 29th of June the European Parliament’s Sub-Committee dedicated to public health (SANT) held a hearing on ‘Mental health of youth’.
Vinciane Quoidbach, EBC Public Health& Policy, Research Project Manager presented during the public hearing with the presence of many Members of the European Parliament highlighting the importance of investing in brain research and innovation. During her presentation, she highlighted that there is less investment in research on prevention, detection, screening and diagnosis, treatment development and evaluation, disease management or health services and that the majority of the funding is allocated to research in adults, whereas the majority of problems develop during one’s childhood and adolescence.
Last but not least, EBC responded to the European Commission’s communication on a “Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health” with its members, calling out for an EU commitment to research exploring the biological mechanisms for mental health disorders and their treatments as well as the sociopsychological factors, proposing the need for a European Brain Capital Policy Lab to scientifically study the issue, address socio-economic and commercial components of mental health, as well as track current policies and data to reach an evidence-based assessment of what the necessary action plans to mitigate and respond to the worrying trend noticed today in terms of mental health struggles.