National strategy(ies)

In Greece since February 2021 there is a National Action Plan for Mental Health.   The plan is developed in 10 Intervention Axes.

 1st AXIS: Completion of the abolition of institutional care, abolition of the Departments of Chronic Patients in the remaining Psychiatric Hospitals of the NHS, with the parallel development of services for people with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders as well as the development of Psychogeriatrics.

2nd AXIS: Further development and integration of the community network of Mental Health Services, emphasizing prevention with simultaneous integration of Mental Health Services in PPH, utilizing modern digital technologies.

3rd AXIS: Completing the network of Mental Health Services for children and adolescents, with an emphasis on prevention, including special provision for people with Pervasive Developmental Disorders.

4th AXIS: Reform of forensic psychiatric services from institutional to community services and Development of Psychiatric Intensive Care Units.

5th AXIS: Completion and strengthening of the nationwide network of Limited Liability Social Cooperatives (Social Coop).

6th AXIS: Universal application of sectorization throughout the territory, taking into account all pillars of Mental Health Services provision (Public and Private Sector, Non-profit civil partnership), ensuring the quality and safety of Mental Health Recipients and promoting research and training in mental health.

7th AXIS: Reducing the number of involuntary hospitalizations to the EU average.

8th AXIS: Promoting the integration of people with mental health problems in the labor market and development of programs to protect the mental health of employees.

9th AXIS: Protecting the rights of the mentally ill and combating social stigma, while empowering the voice of the mentally ill and their families.

10th AXIS: Strengthening Mental Health Services in the planning of dealing with emergency events such as the pandemic or natural disasters.

Improving the mental health of young people

In Greece, the issue of young people's mental health, before and during COVID-19 pandemic, is a key issue for actions and policies aimed at protecting not only teenagers and young people, but also younger people, as ELSTAT (2021)  reports 15.2% of children aged 5-14 experience anxiety, nervousness or worry at least once a week. Among older ages this phenomenon becomes even more frequent, with 38.9% of young people aged 17-24 and 25% of young people aged 25-39 state that poor mental health is the problem that worries them the most (diaNOIsis, 2022).  5.6% of Greeks over the age of 15 state that they suffer from anxiety disorder (ELSTAT, 2020). 

In Greece, there are specialized Mental Health Units throughout the country that specifically address children and adolescents, such as, for example, the Community Mental Health Centers for Children and Adolescents, the Psychiatric Departments for Children and Adolescents in Prefectural and Regional hospitals, the psychiatric clinics for children and adolescents and child psychiatric hospitals. Of course, the corresponding structures are also available for adults, i.e. for young people aged above 18. These structures can be found on the website of the Ministry of Health website of Ministry of Health  and are accessible to all Greek citizens. At the same time, a teleconsultation platform has been created for children and teenagers, in collaboration with child psychiatric clinics and mental health centers for children and teenagers, while the 10306 telephone line 10306 telephone line  is also available for all citizens, minors and adults. Interventions in primary and secondary education are also important, with the appointment of psychologists in schools and with individual or group counseling and psychosocial support interventions for students.