• Cross-sectoral peer-learning strengthening participation by young people with mental health issues

• Meeting of Directors General for Youth, 7-8 April 2016, Amsterdam

HELPING YOUTH WITH MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS INTO EDUCATION AND WORK

Lessons from nine OECD country reviews

Christopher PRINZ, PhD Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social AffairsOECD

• Alarming evidence– Facts about youth, mental health and work

• Key policy conclusions– The need for a policy transformation

• Promising policy examples– Examples for the three reform aspects

OUTLINE OF THE PRESENTATION

Age of onset of selected mental disorders, United States, 2001-2003

WHAT EVIDENCE TELLS USMental disorders have their onset very early in life

Source: OECD (2015), Fit Mind, Fit Job. From Evidence to Practice in Mental Health and Work.

05

101520253035404550

Anxietydisorder

Mooddisorder

Impulse-controldisorder

Substance usedisorder

Any mentaldisorder

Median age of onset 25th percentile 75th percentile

Share of people who stopped full-time education before age 15, 2010

WHAT EVIDENCE TELLS USYouth with mental ill-health stop education earlier

Source: OECD (2015), Fit Mind, Fit Job. From Evidence to Practice in Mental Health and Work.

05

101520253035

CZE ES

TD

NK

FIN

SVK

FRA

SWE

NLD BEL

SVN

EU-2

1D

EU AU

TIT

ALU

XH

UN

IRL

GB

RPO

L

Severe ill-health Moderate ill-health No ill-health

Treatment rate for mental illnesses (in %) in six OECD countries, 2010

WHAT EVIDENCE TELLS USUndertreatment of mental illness is widespread

Proportion of people receiving treatment for a mental illness by either specialist or non-specialist health care, by severity of their mental disorder

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Sev

ere

Mod

erat

e

Sev

ere

Mod

erat

e

Sev

ere

Mod

erat

e

Sev

ere

Mod

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e

Sev

ere

Mod

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Sev

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Mod

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Austria Belgium Denmark Netherlands Sweden UnitedKingdom

OECD-21

Source: OECD (2012), Sick on the Job? Myths and Realities about Mental Health and Work.

Employment rate by mental health status (in %), latest year available

WHAT EVIDENCE TELLS USMental illness leads to a big employment gap

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Severe disorder Moderate disorder No mental disorder

Source: OECD (2012), Sick on the Job? Myths and Realities about Mental Health and Work.

WHAT POLICY SHOULD LOOK LIKENeed for a major policy transformation

Three components of a necessary policy shift:

– Shift in when to intervene: Early identification of problems and early intervention

– Shift in how to intervene: Well-integrated service delivery and coordinated policies

– Shift in who needs to intervene: Frontline (mainstream) stakeholders need to take action

WHAT POLICY SHOULD LOOK LIKEChange is needed in various policy fields

Four major areas for reform:

– Helping young people through mental health awareness and education policies

– Developing an employment-oriented mental health care system

– Better workplace policies with employer support mechanisms and incentives

– Making benefits and employment services fit for claimants with mental health problems

PROMISING POLICY EXAMPLESEducation and youth policy

– KidsMatter: promoting mental health in schools, mental health literacy among teachers & students

– Headspace: low-threshold institution (often placed in youth centres) offering multidisciplinary support

– Municipal youth guidance centres to address early school leaving and facilitate education transitions

Þ Key aspect: reach young people needing help early without having to stigmatise them – urgent need for accessible, low-threshold programmes and initiatives

• Who needs to get involved?– Schools, youth centres, doctors, counsellors

• How can young people be reached earlier?– But without being stigmatised

• How can more integrated services be provided?– Cooperation and competence development

QUESTIONS FOR THE DISCUSSION

RECOMMENDATION OF THE OECD COUNCILA non-binding legal instrument

Þ Recommendation of the OECD Council on “Integrated Mental Health, Skills and Work Policy”

– Adopted by the OECD Council in December 2015 and endorsed by Ministers in January 2016

– An instrument to promote better policies in a complex and still highly stigmatised field

– A tool to monitor progress in outcomes and policies

– A means to reach out to all OECD countries (and other countries signing up voluntarily)

OECD’s Mental Health and Work review, 2011-2015

• SICK ON THE JOB? MYTHS AND REALITIES ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AND WORK (2012)

• Mental Health and Work: Series of nine(a) country reports (2011-2015)

• High-Level Policy Forum on “Bridging Employment and Health Policies” (March 2015)

• FIT MIND, FIT JOB FROM EVIDENCE TO PRACTICE IN MENTAL HEALTH AND WORK (2015)

• Recommendation of the OECD Council on Mental Health, Skills and Work policies (2016)

OECD publications: www.oecd.org/employment/mental-health-and-work.htm

Contact: Christopher.Prinz@OECD.org