The stigma about mental ill-health is still an issue not only as a social context but possibly also at an administrative level, the Prime Minister said yesterday. The root cause of the stigma is fear and lack of education.

“We need to continue addressing stigma at its roots” Lawrence Gonzi said.

He was addressing the 12th annual educational convention of Gamian Europe – the Global Alliance of Mental Illness Advocacy Networks in Europe. The convention is being hosted by the Richmond Foundation.

Dr Gonzi said Maltese policy making has over the past years become adapted to an increasingly wide scope, predominantly through the streamlining of disability and gender issues. “Mental health is gradually becoming recognised as an issue that may impact all aspects of the individual, be it education, employment, and participation in society.

“We endeavour to work towards the streamlining of mental health – taking account of mental health aspects in general policy making. Efforts are already underway in this respect by the Standing Committee for Social Affairs in collaboration with NGOs in the mental health sphere. Policy formulation based on empirical research will surely enhance our efforts to integrate better the issues of mental health in policy making.”

He said the concept of user involvement, both as a means of empowerment as well as a basis for informed policy is a recognised principle of good practice. The size of our country makes for a very intimate community. The Parliamentary Secretary responsible for mental health has used this reality to the best of our advantage. His regular, albeit mostly informal contact with various groups of mental health service users and individuals ensures that the government has a good grasp of people’s aspirations for good quality services.

“It is natural to the Mediterranean personality that this informal engagement precedes a more formal arrangement. This stance of informed policy formulation is clearly reflected in the developments that we have registered in the past months in the field of mental health. We are committed to working towards establishing formal user involvement. We will surely maintain the informal version, which has proven to be both informative and effective.”

Malta is a relatively young nation, and as such development in the sphere of personalised social services is relatively recent, having come to the forefront of government policy in the late 80s, Dr Gonzi said.

The development of personalised services in the mental health sector is even more recent. A major milestone in mental health services occurred in the 1990s – a concerted effort led to the re-integration of several persons who had been in institutions for decades. This development was complemented by an introduction of mental health services within the community. A period of consolidation ensued.

Over the past 18 months the government has renewed its effort in the mental health and community care sector by establishing it as a specific portfolio under the responsibility of a parliamentary secretary. This renewed impetus has resulted in the development of new services in community mental health and the review of several existing services with the intention of adapting them to meet current recognised standards and needs.

Dr Gonzi said that the striking statistic that every nine minutes a citizen of the European Union commits suicide has spurred them to set up a new Crisis Intervention Service, which will be ready for deployment in emergency situations within the coming months. “This development will further strengthen our community mental services which remain the main focus of all our efforts in this sector,” he said.

“Our commitment towards increased self-determination in mental health is reflected in a number of policy and legislative changes currently underway. I know for a fact that families who have access to information deal better with mental illness – forewarned is forearmed, both in maintaining mental health as well as dealing with mental illness when it occurs. The changes in policies and practices provide for improved access to information, apart from adopting a right-based approach and a specific focus on quality treatment.”