Forthcoming policy developments

Mental Health as the Great National Cause for 2026

Mental health has one again been elevated as a top priority (declared Grande cause nationale 2025, extended through 2026). The priority is to make mental health a tangible reality in everyone’s daily lives by providing greater support for local initiatives, improving the availability of guidance and resources on where to find help, and fully integrating mental health into all public policies, from education and urban planning to employment and public services.

In 2025, more than 3,000 events were organised across the regions and over 900 initiatives were accredited to raise awareness of mental health. Under the coordination of the Ministry of Health and with the involvement of all government departments, charities, professionals, local authorities, families and patients have committed to encouraging open discussion, making conversations less taboo, and promoting active listening and inclusion across all sectors of society.

Moreover, at the end of the year 2025, Santé publique France Agency launched a public information site (Santémentale-info-service.fr) and campaigns to combat stigma and encourage help-seeking.

Ongoing debates

Launch of the ‘Mentalo’ study on young people's mental health

Among the new initiatives, the Mentalo study, launched by the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), illustrates this preventive approach. Mentalo is a large-scale longitudinal study conducted between 2024 and 2026 among young people aged 11 to 24.

Developed with a participatory methodology involving more than 300 young contributors and professionals, the project aims to better identify the determinants of youth mental well-being and psychological vulnerability. The study ultimately aims to follow up to 50,000 participants across France through repeated questionnaires administered over a one-year period. Its total budget amounts to €2.4 million, covering both the research study itself and the future development of support solutions, notably the planned  Mental Plus application designed to provide personalised mental health support and orientation.