ADVANCE Mental Health

🇮🇹 Italy hosted over 105,000 forced migrants with refugee or asylum status in 2022, many of whom are facing mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD due to their experiences before, during, and after migration. The ADVANCE report from Italy reveals the structural issues that contribute to migration distress, as well as the groups most vulnerable to these challenges. “Our team has met many migrants who have arrived in Italy, each with their own unique migration story, but all share common struggles," reveals Eleonora Prina, postdoctoral researcher of the ADVANCE team from the University of Verona. 🔗 Read what our Italy team has found out here: https://lnkd.in/deEaSjMX #MentalHealth #Migrants #Italy #Europe #ADVANCE

Last Friday, we had an insightful session in our Mental Health Dialogues webinar series, where we explored the role of digital technologies in mental health support through the lens of seven EU projects. The discussion covered crucial topics such as data privacy, user motivation, and the integration of human expertise in these interventions. Anne de Graaff, WHO Technical Officer and an ADVANCE collaborator, spoke about the design of the STARS chatbot—a digital tool for youth experiencing psychological distress. This is one of the six interventions that ADVANCE is testing in various populations. Here are some key takeaways: 🔐 Data protection and security: Many people are skeptical about digital applications, especially regarding privacy. Our discussion highlighted the importance of integrating strong data protection measures right from the start. Anne explained that STARS follows a human-centered design and prioritizes privacy by limiting personal data collection. The chatbot is password-protected, and SMS notifications contain minimal information. It is also not conversational; instead, it guides users through predefined content to further safeguard privacy. 💡 Motivation & long-term adherence: For digital interventions to succeed, it’s not just about facilitating a smooth start; it's also about ensuring sustained engagement. Diverse strategies, such as interactive elements and personalized support, are key to keeping users motivated over time. Anne explained that to maintain motivation in using STARS in ADVANCE, the team will include engagement calls, where users receive up to five weekly calls from a trained helper. This approach recognizes that STARS is not only a chatbot intervention accessible on a phone or laptop anytime, but it also includes a guided component. 🤝 Human-in-the-loop: Despite advances in digital solutions, the role of humans remains crucial. Anne explained that STARS will be delivered by non-specialists—individuals without formal mental health training—emphasizing that the WHO advocates a task-sharing approach in all of its psychological interventions. This means that non-specialists and specialists share responsibilities in delivering mental health services. However, Anne also noted that there is a need not only for guided interventions but also for a wide range of interventions suitable for different groups of people. 💪🌐 Watch the recording on our Youtube channel: https://lnkd.in/ekyidr5g   #MentalHealth #DigitalMentalHealth #InnovativeSolutions #EuropeanUnion

Happy World Mental Health Day!   Today is World Mental Health Day - a day on which the importance of mental health is emphasised worldwide. 🧠💚 This year's celebration is dedicated to mental health in the workplace. Especially in times of high work pressure and constantly changing demands, it is crucial that we do not lose sight of the mental health of our teams.   In one of our articles, we look at some of the factors that affect mental health of workers in highly digitalized work environments and groups that are most vulnerable to these.   👉 Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/dNPPH_jx   Let's work together to raise awareness, reduce the stigma around mental health prioritise mental health in the workplace. Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments. What does mental health mean to you in the workplace?   #WorldMentalHealthDay #MentalHealthAtWork #MentalHealthAwareness #MentalHealthMatters #Workplace #MentalWellbeing #WorkplaceWellness #StigmaBreakers

We're very proud of our researchers from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) for launching MentaalFit during the Amsterdam Leadership Lab symposium! If you're an SME in the Netherlands and is interested in improving the mental health of your employees, reach out to our team for a free management training and stress management program. Limited slots only 🎯

The triple planetary crisis of #ClimateChange, environmental pollution and biodiversity loss poses threats to both physical and #MentalHealth. Extreme weather conditions and events related to climate change, such as excessive heat, droughts, floods, storms, and wildfires can lead not only to physical damage and injuries, but also to a range of mental health effects, including: 🔵 increased psychological distress 🔵 anxiety 🔵 depression 🔵 post-traumatic stress 🔵 increased demand for mental health care and services Today, the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and WHO/Europe hosted a high-level policy dialogue in Brussels 🇧🇪 on the mental health impacts of the triple planetary crisis. Find out more here: https://bit.ly/3Yc6WON

I was thrilled to present the MentaalFit project at the annual Amsterdam Leadership Lab Symposium last Thursday, together with Amber! We’re excited to bring two World Health Organization (WHO) mental health programs to Dutch SMEs, with the goal of improving employee well-being. Curious to learn more about the project or interested in joining? Follow the MentaalFit page or feel free to reach out!

Meet our panelist @Anne De Graaff representing ADVANCE Mental Health project. @Anne de Graaff is a Technical Officer in the Mental Health Unit at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva. 🏥 With a strong background in psychology, Anne has been involved in numerous international research initiatives, particularly focusing on mental health interventions within humanitarian settings. 🌍   As a key member of the ADVANCE Mental Health project, Anne de Graaff works on adapting mental health promotion interventions, both digital and face-to-face, across diverse contexts. 💡   Driven by a passion for making mental health care accessible to those in need, Anne is committed to improving mental health service delivery for forcibly displaced persons. 🌍💡   Join us: https://lnkd.in/ehvwsmZt   ASPbelong Project, Net&Me BootStRaP, IMPROVA Project EU, Reconnected project, HorizonSMILE, Mental Health Europe, European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) #MentalHealthDialogues #HorizonEurope #DigitalHealth #MentalHealthSupport #Humanitarian #MentalHealthInterventions #eHealth #Healthcare

Webinar ALERT! Ahead of the World Mental Health Day, 7 huge EU projects bring you the second episode of Mental Health Dialogues. For this series, we will deep dive into digital applications in mental health support and address common issues such as designing with data privacy and human-in-the-loop in mind, as well as sustaining motivation on these digital interventions.   🗓  4th of October, 11:00 – 12:30 CET 👉 Register here: https://lnkd.in/emFe3Vh4   Spread the word!   ASPbelong Project, Net&Me BootStRaP, IMPROVA Project EU, Reconnected project, HorizonSMILE, Mental Health Europe, European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) #MentalHealthDialogues #DigitalTools #DigitalHealth #Webinar #HorizonEurope #MentalHealthResearch

Don't miss out on the Mental Health Dialogues webinar featuring top experts from across Europe, sharing their knowledge on digital mental health.

Have you caught the highlights from our webinar on co-creation in mental health?    In mental health innovation research, one of the biggest challenges is aligning co-creation, lived experiences, and scientific methods—three elements that don't always fit together easily. So, how can we ensure that the co-creation process equally benefits the co-creators and the projects themselves? 🤔 Watch the webinar here: https://lnkd.in/enufXKn6   But the conversation doesn’t stop there!   🗓 On October 4th, the Mental Health Dialogues webinar about digital applications in mental health support—jointly organized by seven leading projects—will delve even deeper into these topics and address common issues such as designing with data privacy and human-in-the-loop in mind, as well as sustaining motivation on these digital interventions.   👉 Register here: https://lnkd.in/emFe3Vh4   ✨ Stay tuned for more insights and be part of the dialogue! #MentalHealthInnovation #CoCreation #WebinarSeries #MentalHealthDialogues