In 2019, the Government of Montenegro adopted a Strategy for the Protection and Improvement of Mental Health in Montenegro for 2019-2023 (Strategija zaštite i unaprjeđenja mentalnog zdravlja u Crnoj Gori 2019-2023), which forms the basis for the work in the area of mental health. 
 

The strategy is focused on four priority areas:
 

1) promotion of mental health and prevention of mental disorders;
2) improving capacities for early diagnosing, treatment and rehabilitation of persons with mental health disorders;
3) respecting and protecting the human rights of persons with mental health disorders;
4) mental health information systems and research studies in this area.

Young people are recognised as one of the main target groups by this strategy and it is specified that special attention should be given to the promotion of youth mental health, prevention and early detection of mental health disorders, improving capacities of existing mental health services for young people and establishing new ones and collecting data needed for monitoring of health protection of youth.
 

One of the strategic goals is to “intensify activities to promote mental health and prevent mental health disorders with special emphasis on the most vulnerable groups and those most at risk”. Implementation of this goal is monitored by indicators that specifically mention young people, such as “reduced incidence of mental health disorders in the general population, especially in children and youth”, “designed and implemented measures and programmes for mental health promotion and prevention of mental health and behavioural disorders in all sectors, with specific focus to strengthening youth counselling centres” and “the reduced suicide rate among the population as a whole and in subgroups related to age, gender and other vulnerable groups”.

The report on monitoring of the implementation of the strategy in 2020 indicates that there have been no changes in indicators concerning the incidence of mental health disorders and suicide rates, which is attributed to barriers in the implementation of planned activities due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
 

As mentioned in the previous section, the National Youth Strategy 2017-2021 introduces two measures: “establishment of efficient inter-sectoral information and counselling services for young people and parents” and “supporting the development of young people’s psychological and physical health”, which also directly address the mental health of young people.

The latest action plan for the implementation of the youth strategy for the period 2020-2021 contains a set of activities in the area of mental health of young people, including strengthening capacities of youth counselling centres by engaging experts in the area of mental health and supporting the implementation of activities planned by the Strategy for the Protection and Improvement of Mental Health in Montenegro for 2019-2023.

The reports on the implementation of action plans for implementation of the youth strategy for 2017, 2018 and 2019 include information on monitoring of the implementation of activities concerning the mental health of young people.
 

Improving the mental health of young people

One project that has recently been launched is the national campaign titles Call When You Are in Trouble (Zovi kad si u sosu), started in 2021 by the Ministry of Finance and Social Affairs and public children’s home Mladost Bijela with the support of UNICEF, the Embassy of Norway in Belgrade and the NGO Group 484. The campaign aims to reach children and adolescents who need advice and to support them to speak freely and anonymously about problems, fears and doubts. The National SOS service has been established and trained professionals are available to talk with young people 24 hours a day.
 

Moreover, in 2021, the municipality of Podgorica, the capital city of Montenegro, established a new social service for citizens in need of psychosocial support – the House of Health (Kuća zdravlja). The aim is to provide support to citizens who have problems, with an emphasis on people from vulnerable groups. The services are provided by psychologists, social workers and doctors. Co-operation has been established with public institutions in the municipality and three non-governmental organisations – the Association of Psychologists of Montenegro, NGO CAZAS and the Centre for Children's Rights of Montenegro. Some of the activities are directly targeted to young people, such as conducting workshops on the relation of food to mental health, and the impact of the pandemic on mental health.
 

There are also various projects and initiatives conducted by NGOs for improving the mental health of young people, financially supported through public calls. One example is a project conducted by NGO CAZAS in 2018 aimed at strengthening the socio-emotional competencies of young people to successfully overcome the challenges of adolescence through workshops and by providing support to young people to create video materials on mental health and healthy lifestyles.