WHO warns of impact on Europe's mental health from war and pandemic

The World Health Organization sees Europe at an important time in the fight against mental health problems in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and the Ukraine war.

"Our region is undergoing extensive upheaval and change," said Hans Kluge, director of the WHO Europe Region, in Copenhagen on Wednesday. The pandemic has put a spotlight on mental health, he said, while the armed conflict in Ukraine is affecting the mental well-being of millions of people.

"Ten weeks of war in Ukraine have let to incalculable uncertainty, insecurity, grief and loss," Kluge said. He highlighted nearly 190 attacks on health services in Ukraine, which he said have "robbed countless people of hope and access to health services."

Kluge was introducing the first meeting of the Pan-European Coalition for Mental Health, which aims encourage action at all levels to address neglected mental health needs across the whole of Europe.

The coalition was launched in September 2021 and is made up of 53 member states in the WHO Europe region, along with international non-governmental organizations, experts and people affected by mental health problems.

According to WHO, more than 150 million people in the region were living with mental health problems in 2021. Only one in three people with depression currently receives the help they need. Mental health problems affect all age groups and all social classes, it said.