Integrating mental health across different policy domains: Why and how?

Abstract Background In October 2024, the European Joint Action on Mental Health Together (JA MENTOR) was launched to promote mental health and well-being at individual and population levels through sustainable, long-term strategies. A central component of this initiative is advancing mental health as a cross-sectoral priority using an MHiAP approach. To support this goal, JA MENTOR is developing and piloting a flexible MHiAP guidance, i.e., a practical tool to help national and regional policymakers design, implement, and strengthen MHiAP strategies. Methods To identify methodologies, tools and best practices for MHiAP development, implementation, and evaluation, a literature review of scientific articles and reports from prior EU initiatives was conducted. Also, a survey was developed to assess the state of MHiAP implementation in JA MENTOR partner countries (n = 14) and regions, followed by interviews with survey respondents to obtain deeper insights into their respective situations and needs. The findings from the literature, surveys and interviews were integrated and served as the basis for expert discussions within the task core team, culminating in the development of a draft MHiAP guidance. Results Results show that most countries have not implemented a formal MHiAP strategy. Facilitating factors for MHiAP include national champions, political commitment, a shared ambition, intersectoral working groups, and allocated finances. Barriers include limited mental health literacy and commitment among policymakers, entrenched silo-based thinking and insufficient resources. Conclusions Important insights were derived from both literature and country experiences, which informed the development of a flexible guidance document aimed at facilitating MHiAP implementation. This workshop session will present a draft MHiAP guidance and share early experiences from the pilot countries as they prepare for the implementation of actions from the guidance.