New action plan will help improve care, especially in eastern Europe

In January 2005 the Mental Health Declaration for Europe and the Mental Health Action Plan for Europe were endorsed by the ministers of health of the 52 member states in the European region of the World Health Organization at a meeting in Helsinki.1 2 An unprecedented array of organisations of service users, non-governmental organisations, and professionals had been consulted in preparing these statements, which now set a clear policy direction for the development of mental health services in the wider Europe for at least the next decade. In which direction is the new policy going and how far is it wise?

The background to these new policies is a clear divide between the countries of western Europe, which have largely completed the process of deinstitutionalisation, and the position in most central and east European states, in which the transition from institutional care to a more balanced mix of services is starting only now (figures …