Mental health. Cross-European mental health indicators. A dream or a reality?

Abstract

Background: Life expectancy has increased in most European countries, but the value of this additional lifespan in terms of mental and physical health is unclear. To afford cross-national research into this area the Euro-REVES project was set up to promote harmonization of health expectancy calculations. One part of the project's work was to ascertain the current level of harmonization of mental health indicators. Methods: A census was conducted of studies undertaken since 1980 which included a mental health component, using a cascade approach and advertisements in European journals. Information for each study included size, age range, design (cross-sectional or longitudinal), Indicators and scales used. Responders were also asked to identify the major mental health priorities in their country. Results: To date information has been received on 60 studies from 12 European countries. Dementia and depression were consistently identified as common mental health priorities. Over half (39) of the studies were longitudinal in design, with sizes ranging from 15 to 25,000. The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) was included in 53% (32) of studies, with 25% (15) including the Geriatric Mental State Schedule (GMS) and 20% (12) the Cambridge Mental Disorders of the Elderly Examination (CAMDEX) schedule. A large proportion (50%) of studies were of older people, reflecting the priority of dementia. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that harmonization of mental health indicators across Europe is more advanced than for other health indicators. Recommendations are made for further improvements in the collection of cross-European comparative information for mental health.