One of the goals of the National Mental Health Strategy is to provide comprehensive services that meet people’s needs. Such services are client oriented, suitable for different ages and stages of development, accessible, timely, high quality and effective, flexible, well coordinated, and supportive of continuity. They follow the principle of equality and take into account family members and close relatives both as a resource and as individuals in need of support.
Development of mental health, substance use and addiction services
Mental health, substance use and addiction services have been developed during the implementation of the Mental Health Strategy, as well as through the Future Health and Social Services Centre Programme and the Sustainable Growth Programme. The development efforts, which have focused on primary health care, aim to improve equal access to services, timeliness and continuity, and to strengthen the multidisciplinary nature and interoperability of social and health services. The effectiveness of basic-level mental health and substance use treatments has been enhanced by training professionals and introducing effective psychosocial methods for all age groups.
Studies on mental health services
Several separate studies on mental health services have been carried out as part of the implementation of the Mental health strategy:
- Study targeted at wellbeing services counties on eating disorder services: competence and cooperation must be strengthened (in Finnish, Julkari)
- Diverse services in the treatment of severe mental health disorders: Report and recommendations (in Finnish, Julkari)
- Treatment of young people with severe mental health disorders in wellbeing services counties in 2024 (in Finnish, Julkari)
- Number of psychiatric hospital beds is stabilising – situation in 2023 (in Finnish, Julkari)
- Study on the number of psychiatric hospital beds (in Finnish, Julkari)
National client feedback survey
The national client feedback survey in mental health and substance use services and in psychiatric specialist care has been conducted twice, in 2021 and 2024, as part of the implementation of the Mental Health Strategy. For the survey, specific questionnaires were developed to define the essential questions needed to measure client experience in mental health, substance use and addiction treatment. The development of the questionnaires involved staff from care units and experts by experience. The surveys are freely available for use within the service system and can be downloaded from the THL website (link to the new professional guidelines).
Research brief:
Results of the national client feedback survey in adult mental health, substance use and addiction services 2021 and 2024 (in Finnish, Julkari)
Competence in mental health, substance use and addiction
The need to strengthen competence in mental health, substance use and addiction has been identified in the National Mental Health Strategy. This competence consists of the knowledge, skills and readiness required to address these phenomena in one’s professional work. This enables higher quality mental health promotion and more effective preventive substance use work, ensuring that those in need receive better support.
Mental health, substance use and addiction content in education for sectors working in direct interaction: Recommendations for strengthening competence (in Finnish, Julkaisuarkisto Valto)