Good mental health is a cornerstone of societal resilience, yet countries in the Baltic Sea Region report alarmingly high rates of mental ill-health. There is an urgent need for effective mental health promotion, prevention, and treatment strategies to address this growing burden, driven by successive crises. The challenge is expected to persist and the health sector alone cannot meet the demand. Overburdened primary care systems are struggling, creating inefficiencies that worsen the situation. Addressing this issue requires a cross-sectoral approach to improving mental well-being, ensuring that BSR societies can recover from and adapt to crises.

The Mental Health project platform is the Interreg BSR capitalisation tool. It helps public authorities integrate non-clinical cultural, artistic, and physical activities to enhance mental and social well-being for all and advances the achievement of the Programme objectives by consolidating results from multiple projects. Sectors beyond health play a vital role in promoting mental health. Interreg BSR projects highlight the potential of leveraging settings such as schools, workplaces, and cultural environments to improve outcomes. For instance, cultural interventions provide effective non-medical solutions for individuals with mild to moderate mental health conditions. However, these approaches require political recognition and systematic adoption. Decision-makers need robust information and evidence to implement cross-sectoral mental health initiatives. This project will create a platform to consolidate outcomes of various projects into actionable policy recommendations for national and regional decision-makers. By driving broader adoption of these solutions, the initiative will expand access to effective interventions, improving mental health and resilience across the BSR.

Project platforms provide structured access to results and empower public authorities and experts to use those practical solutions in daily management and policies. Together, the eight project platforms are building on the outcomes of more than 100 projects. More than half of these originate from Interreg Baltic Sea Region, forming the backbone of the project platforms. By connecting with the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR), the project platforms help ensure their efforts complement broader regional priorities. This amplifies the impact of Interreg Baltic Sea Region projects, supports shared objectives across the macro-region, and strengthens alignment with Europe-wide goals.

Project partners: Secretariat of the NDPHS (Coordinator of the Policy Area Health for the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region), Poznan University of Life Sciences, Poland, Odense Municipality, Denmark, International Sport and Culture Association, Denmark, Estonian Coalition for Mental Health and Well-being.

Project platform is powered by results from the following projects: Arts on Prescription, KidsLikeUs, MentalHealthMatters, SchoolChanger, BalticSe@nioR, BalticSe@nioR 2.0, SAFE, ABCs for Mental Health, Icehearts Europe, Operating grant in the field of EU4Health, Arts on Prescription in Norway, Economy of Well-being of People, Roadmap to improve the health and well-being of the ageing population (AgeFLAG).

Co-funded by the European Union through Interreg, the cooperation powers the future of the region by turning knowledge into practical action, building synergies, and driving change where it matters most.

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