Health Minister Vili Beros presented a mental health strengthening programme this week to be implemented by community health centres in five counties with the aim of redirecting mental health protection to early diagnosis and treatment via primary healthcare.

The end goal of the project is to increase the availability and effectiveness of mental health services as well as to decrease the stigma and the burden on secondary and tertiary health care. Another goal is to improve the quality of life of people with mental disorders as well as prevention.

Mental health services will be provided in health centres and by mobile teams comprising psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, social pedagogues, and nurses.

The programme is part of the health system reform and an amended public health service network.

From September through December, the programme will be implemented in the City of Zagreb and Krapina-Zagorje, Međimurje, Osijek-Baranja, and Split-Dalmatia counties.

“The implementation of the project will be followed by an analysis of all the advantages and challenges of the existing model and as of next year we plan to launch the aforementioned psychology teams at primary level across Croatia. When the new public health service network is adopted, the establishment of those services in health centres will begin,” said Beros.

Mental disorders are a growing public health problem

Mental disorders are a growing public health problem due to numerous triggers which include the pandemic, the two earthquakes in 2020, the war in Ukraine, the global crisis, and recent tragic events in Croatia and the region, Beros said.

In Europe, one in six citizens has a mental health problem and Croatia’s numbers are equally worrying, he added.

As much as 50% of mental disorders begin before the age of 14 and 75% before 18, which is why the ministry has launched mental health risk screenings as part of physical checkups in school medicine.

It has been noticed in 2022 and this year that one in five pupils are at a certain risk of developing a mental disorder.

Mental and behaviour disorders make up 17.2% of all hospitalisations in Croatia and come first when it comes to the duration of hospitalisation.

“All this clearly speaks to the scope of the challenges before us,” Beros said, telling citizens that if they have any problem, they can go to a county mental health institute, where 47 expert teams are active. These changes to the public health service network are aimed at increasing their number.