Diana Kwast-Hoekstra, MScN. RN.’s Post

The new EURORDIS Position Paper on Mental Health and Wellbeing details the significant mental health challenges faced by people living with rare diseases and their families and, crucially, what we can do to remedy them! The paper emphasises the need for specific actions across all policy areas to address these unique needs. The document highlights the connection between physical and mental health and calls for implementing effective programmes, as supported by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution. It advocates for the inclusion of people living with rare diseases in European mental health policies and urges EU Member States to develop national strategies that integrate psychosocial support into standard medical care. Join our upcoming webinar for more information where Matt Bolz-Johnson, our Mental Health & Wellbeing Lead, will present this blueprint for developing psychosocial programmes to meet the mental health needs of people living with rare diseases and their families. Register now 👉 https://lnkd.in/embvg_79 #Europe #RareDiseases #MentalHealth #MentalWellbeing #webinar #policy

During #MensHealthWeek 2024, people on the island of Ireland are being asked to take practical steps - no matter how small - to improve their own health and the health of the men and boys around them. Cancer awareness and heart health are two areas where this can be realistically achieved. Prevention is always better than cure and #MensHealthCounts. Make sure that you #KnowYourNumbers and follow at least some of the ten top tips for men’s health in the ‘Action Man’ Manual at: www.mhfi.org/ActionMan.pdf Mental Health Ireland Mental Health Reform

It so exciting to see the leaders of domestic and international health have this public conversation about the need to focus on mental health in order to improve physical health. After more than a decade of doing this work, bringing my wonderful experience from my years with the University of South Alabama to the international platform of USAID, it makes my heart sing to have health integration highlighted this way. Please watch the conversation between USAID's Deputy Adminstrator of the Bureau for Global Health, Dr. Gawande, and the US Surgeon General, Dr. Murthy, regarding our work and the first Mental Health Position Paper (which I contributed to and helped keep the steam for it going)! https://lnkd.in/eBf9_dG2

At Otsuka, we hold a deep respect for the value of every mind, and we will not rest until mental illnesses and brain diseases are approached with the same priority and urgency as our physical health and recognized as chronic diseases that warrant early, equitable, and accessible intervention. "In the spirit of National Mental Illness Awareness Week, I am inspired by existing efforts to educate our communities on the health disparities experienced by those who live with mental illness. But there is more we can do. With a collective commitment to further equity in care, address barriers to access, and enable the launch of innovative solutions, we can bring about change," - pens Otsuka President and CEO Tarek Rabah for the Wall Street Journal. Read more here: https://bit.ly/46bheQN #MIAW #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek #DefyLimitation

🌎 🧠 On #WorldMentalHealthDay, European Doctors join 32 other civil society organisations by signing a joint statement calling for substantive actions to shape a Europe where everyone’s mental health thrives.   🇪🇺 Re-elected European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has emphasised the urgent need to ‘step up our work on preventive health, in particular for mental health’. 💻 She has placed a special focus on the mental health of children and young people, especially online, and promised actions to tackle what she calls ‘the greatest challenge in this decade’. These promises build on commitments made over recent years by several EU institutions.    🤝 The joint statement welcomes the renewed ambition and calls on all stakeholders to work together to translate this ambition into concrete actions.   👇 Among its many calls, the joint statement asks the Commission, as part of its strategy on mental health, to propose a legislative initiative on the management of psychosocial risks and well-being at work, with special attention to the health and care workforces. https://lnkd.in/eBZpcTij

On this World Mental Health Day, let's take a moment to reflect on the importance of mental well-being in our lives and communities. By educating ourselves and others, we can help to break the stigma surrounding mental health and create an environment where everyone feels safe to seek the help they need. #WorldMentalHealthDay #WithYouInMind

My recent op-Ed for the Jerusalem Post was on the challenge and opportunities facing Israeli society in the aftermath of the 7.10 attacks and ongoing war. Only a coordinated and cooperative approach can achieve the result we need at a national level, and this will not happen by itself. This is the main reason I joined ICAR Collective that has set out to empower the field, packed with amazing players to achieve even more. Link to the article in first comment.

This week the Mental Health Commissioner attended the 2024 Equally Well Forum in Melbourne. 🫶 The forum acknowledges the area of lived experience engagement in mental health. Lived experience experts led the conversation with clinicians, researchers, advocates, educators, service providers, policy makers and anyone keen to share strategies and case studies about: ⭐️ Positive actions taking place to improve physical health outcomes for people in the mental health system. ⭐️ Barriers and challenges that prevent advancement of physical health needs for people living with mental health challenges. ⭐️ Insights and opportunities to take the Equally Well movement forward in achieving its aim of closing the life expectancy gap for people living with mental illness. From preaching to the converted to driving real change, the Mental Health Commissioner spoke of an increased need for more integrated healthcare approaches to reduce diagnostic overshadowing practices in South Australia. Pictured is Taimi Allan (she/her), Mental Health Commissioner, presenting at the Equally Well Forum in Melbourne. #EquallyWell #livedexperience #mentalhealth

In Poland, 25% of adults have faced mental health issues, yet only 16% sought professional help. Limited access to specialists and societal prejudices contribute to this gap. Let's work towards fostering understanding and accessible mental health support. CO-CAPTAIN is addressing this challenge by developing a pilot to adapt Patient Navigation for primary cancer prevention to the unique needs of individuals with mental health problems in Poland. This initiative aims to identify effective strategies for local communities across the four pilot sites. Our goal is to bridge the gap in mental health care access and contribute to a more inclusive and supportive healthcare environment. #MentalHealthAwareness #AccessToCare #HealthEquity #CancerPrevention

✊ Resilience in CDG ✊ 👉 Did you miss our most recently publication showcasing the first-ever study that evaluates resilience levels of people living with CDG and their caregivers? What did we learn❓ 1️⃣ Both patients and caregivers have medium levels of resilience. Although the disease can have a different impact on their lives, these were encouraging results as both seem to maintain interesting levels of tenacity and resilience, despite the demanding challenges and complexities of living with this serious condition. 2️⃣ The type of CDG, individual's academic degree and professional/ social support highly influence people’s resilience levels. These are insights that can help people develop coping strategies to navigate the daily adversities associated with living with a rare disease Besides, its shows that it is important to raise awareness about caring for mental health and to advocate for professional, psychological, and social support for our community 🌈 Curious about the full investigation? Access the paper at https://lnkd.in/di67a4dH. #CDG #RareDiseases #Resilience #MentalHealthAwareness