Mental Health

According to a 2023 survey by the Council of the European Union, one in two people in the European Union reported having felt depressed or anxious in the 12 previous months. This is but one survey highlighting how our general mental well-being is getting worse, especially since the 2020 Covid pandemic. This is a growing concern for local and regional authorities, notably (but not exclusively) because it has an effect on urban security. 

There is an essential correlation between mental health and overall well-being, particularly through the growing recognition of the multiple social and genetic factors that influence psychological health. The absence of this state of well-being can lead to problems not only for the individual, but also for their whole environment.  

At the local level, public authorities, police and professionals in the field are regularly faced with complex, multi-faceted situations ranging from malaise to violence and critical situations requiring involuntary hospitalisation. Furthermore, people affected by mental health issues can be victimised through their risky behaviour or because they are attacked, as do their entourage and broader social environment. 

Indeed, poor mental health is at the root of many urban security problems and should be taken into account when designing local urban security policies. 

> Recommendations from the 2025 Security, Democracy and Cities manifesto

> Report from the 2024 Security, Democracy and Cities conference:
– Mental Health in Public Spaces

> Positioning

In its 2025 Security, Democracy and Cities manifesto, Efus states that, faced with a broad spectrum of mental health problems, local and regional authorities must adopt innovative, transverse approaches involving all the relevant stakeholders, notably social and educational services, specialised prevention and psychiatric and medicine providers.  
Efus also stresses that it is essential to respect at all times and in all circumstances the  fundamental rights of people suffering from mental disorders. 
In order to reinforce prevention and detection, it recommends increasing the provision of youth centres, raising awareness among the local population, and offering adequate training to professionals on the ground, such as local police and street mediators.