National Mental Health Strategy 2020–2030

Objectives

The goal of the mental health strategy is to ensure the continuity and purposefulness of mental health work until 2030. The strategy was prepared by a wide-ranging group of experts appointed by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, whose work was guided by a steering group.

Mental Health Strategy has five focus areas:

Implementation

The implementation of the National Mental Health Strategy focuses on the development needs of strengthening mental health work in the years 2023-2024.

In the strategy work, it has been identified that to develop mental health work in Finland, the following is needed:

population-level model for promoting mental health,
comprehensive knowledge base on the availability, quality, and effectiveness of mental health services,
training for professionals to strengthen mental health services for children and young people
support for the implementation of the updated mental health and substance abuse legislation, including assessing the need for developing diverse services and reducing stigma and discrimination and
actions to promote mental health and prevent suicide among the most vulnerable groups.

In 2020–22, the implementation focused on developing services, launching a suicide prevention program, and increasing mental health skills in people's everyday environments.