Towards the development of a national Mental Health Surveillance System in Germany

Abstract

Abstract Background On behalf of the federal ministry of health the Robert Koch Institute as the German public health institute is currently developing a concept for a national Mental Health Surveillance (MHS). This surveillance should systematically gather, process and analyze primary and secondary data, thus integrating different data sources to comprehensively inform about mental health trends in the population. To do so, selected mental health indicators should be reported on a regular basis to detect changes over time and reveal need for public health measures. Methods To build up a national MHS, a conceptual framework and a core indicator set were established according to a two-stage procedure: 1) scoping review to collect a broad range of indicators in the field of public mental health on a population based level, 2) consensus among public mental health experts and stakeholders by an iterative Delphi process which considered quantitative and qualitative information. Results Drawing on theoretical foundation, an action-guiding conceptual framework with basic action goals referring to mental health promotion and prevention, mental health determinants, mental health status as well as mental health care and burden of mental disorders was developed. Within the consensus process, the 184 indicators resulting from the scoping review could be reduced to a parsimonious core indicator set. Conclusions The contribution shows background, method and first results of developing a German MHS. Next, the feasibility of the hereby presented core indicator set will be tested by identifying and closing data gaps. In the long run, the MHS should be integrated in a broader surveillance of non-communicable diseases. It should serve as a reliable database for epidemiological as well as health care research and evidence-based policy advice on public health measures to protect and strengthen mental health in the population.