Scaling up community-based care for those suffering with mental health conditions across the Western Balkans is a key issue for WHO experts and health authority representatives. One year after the drafting of the Roadmap for Health and Well-being in the Western Balkans (2021–2025), WHO and governments of the Western Balkans have met again to revitalize mental health service reforms begun in the sub-region before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Participants at the meeting collaborated to explore the common challenges and needs across the Western Balkans around mental health, which also included suicide prevention and improving access to care.
Dr Ledia Lazëri, Regional Advisor for Mental Health at WHO/Europe, remarked on the substantial achievements many countries had already made. “We are back in the Western Balkans in recognition of the great work each and every one of the countries of this sub-region has made in the last few decades to shift their mental health policies and services from asylum-based to community-based,” she noted.
Ramping up community care
The Western Balkans were hit hard by the pandemic, which deprived many already poor households from needed income and increased unemployment. Like everywhere in the WHO European Region, mental health care services struggled to meet the increased demand
caused by the pandemic, revealing wide gaps in access and treatment.
Many experts feared that the looming pandemic-induced recession would put a further strain on resources after years of progress in transitioning toward community-based mental health care. This type of care is no more costly than traditional hospital-based care and offers many more benefits for recovery. It can also help in combating the stigma and isolation faced by people living with mental health conditions.
WHO has been supporting community-based care for mental health conditions in countries such as Albania for over 2 decades. Through its pan-European Mental Health Coalition, WHO aims to continue strengthening connectivity between different countries in the Region by serving as a platform for exchanging information and experiences.
Challenges remain
Despite the progress, clear challenges persist in the sub-region. For example, most of the countries in the Western Balkans lack national suicide prevention policies, a situation evident in about half of the countries in the Region. Participants at the
meeting also observed the need for standards regarding mental health care for children and adolescents
Many Western Balkan countries have been training primary health care staff to identify and treat common mental health conditions and employing digital technologies. Serbia, for instance, created a smartphone app called ‘Always with You, which provides basic information to users on common mental health conditions, such as depression. It also offers a rapid self-assessment test for depression, allowing users to know when to get further help.
Regarding primary health care, Entela Ramosacaj, Albania’s Deputy Minister of Health and Social Protection, noted her country’s progress. “Mental health guidelines for primary health care have been approved and new psychosocial staff are being hired to join the primarily medical teams of primary health care centres,” she said.
The challenge now is to formalize these isolated efforts, enshrining them in policy that is actively monitored and has funding for implementation.