Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson, félags- og vinnumarkaðsráðherra:

Dear guests,

I would like to start by thanking the coordinators for their initiative in hosting this conference as well as the workshops yesterday. I believe this platform must have facilitated a really good and pragmatic discussion about how we envision the future when it comes to mental health advancement and innovation.

I therefore welcome the collaboration between Geðhjálp, Bevisst Likepersonsarbeid and Intentional Peer Support, which are all working vigorously to educate and raise awareness of the importance of finding new ways to provide mental health services.

It is invaluable to have a strong forum to be able to compare our experiences and learn from one another, but especially to be able to combine our efforts, set even higher goals and work together to raise the awareness of mental health issues.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was ratified in Iceland in 2016 and is to be incorporated into Icelandic law next year.

The principles of the convention include:

1. respect for all individuals,
2. the autonomy and independence of every individual, and
3. a recognition of the complexity of people.

We don't want to be a one-dimensional group. We want to be diverse, with different goals, different worldviews, and different needs. Therefore, we need to be able to meet different needs with diverse resources.

During the last term of office in the Government of Iceland, considerable emphasis was placed on mental health and mental health services:

• Funding was greatly increased;
• mental health teams were set up all over the country
• and health clinics added psychologists to their multidisciplinary teams.

  This has improved our systems and services considerably, but there is still ample room for improvement.

  This year, Iceland holds the presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. Our common vision is to make the Nordic countries the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030. This entails making the Nordic countries as socially sustainable as possible, including an emphasis on common values such as robust health care, equity, democracy, equality, and social welfare. In light of this, we have put the improvement of mental health as one of our priorities during Iceland’s year of presidency.

  The caption of this conference is Social change – new approaches to mental health. Here we have heard from internationally acclaimed experts who have taken a more radical approach to mental health issues as well as people with experience of mental health issues or dependence. The focus has been on the role of peer support and ways of building relationships and connections on an equal basis, rather than relationships based on the roles of giver and recipient, the sick person and the expert.

  Peer support means that two people can connect and be available to each other. All of us here today know how invaluable it is to be able to connect with people around us who have faced similar challenges in life. To be able to learn from each other, share our experiences or just be together. Sit together in silence and feel that we are not alone.

  Intentional peer support means forming mutual relationships with other people, supporting one another towards the life we want and helping each other understand why we view the world the way we do.

  This brings us to the importance of social factors and living conditions on mental health. Those experiencing a poor socio-economic status and marginalization are more likely to develop mental health issues and/or addiction. Factors that affect the basics of a person’s safety, such as a safe home environment, a secure income and life without violence have a great impact on mental health.

  Happily, our society is awakening to the effects of these social and environmental factors, while the consequences of trauma are becoming more widely known. Thus, we are beginning to realize that mental health has to do with our whole community, not just the health services.

  This can be seen, among other things, in the international agreements and cooperations Iceland is a part of. The 2021 guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that mental health services need to be radically changed, as a personalized holistic approach to recovery is needed, emphasizing human rights and social support while reducing institutionalization.

  Iceland has also agreed to the United Nations' global goals for sustainable development. The goals include:

• eliminating violence against women,
• promoting substance abuse prevention and treatment,
• eliminating poverty, and halving the number of people in poverty by 2030.
• Other goals aim to promote healthy lifestyles and well-being and social security for all from cradle to grave.

All of these are factors that promote mental health.

I believe that early intervention is a methodology that needs to be given much more attention, and we need to analyze and evaluate the benefits that accompany changes within our systems in that direction.

Based on the concept of early intervention, we are for example changing our disability pension system, ensuring that, for instance, people who become sick have access to various services that enable them to enter the labour market again after recovering from their illness, as soon as possible, whether it be part time or full time. 

Also, in bringing about changes in services to older people, an emphasis on the ongoing cultivation of body and mind long before people become old and frail, is one of the tasks of a new action plan for services to older people that I introduced to the parliament recently.

And, finally I want to mention that an equal emphasis is being set on our young people who are not in education, employment, or training, commonly known as the NEET group.

A large proportion of the NEET group is inactive because of mental health challenges and tends to need longer treatment before benefitting from rehabilitation.

Therefore, I put forward a bill in the Parliament last year, which has already been ratified, that increases payments during the rehabilitation period from 3 years to 5 years for those that need more time.

Our next step is to implement the knowledge gained from pilot studies regarding individualized support, conducted in 2019 by parties from the government, municipalities, and relevant sectors. These studies delivered promising results as around 850 individuals out of a group of 1.000 were actively engaged in education, employment, or training after receiving individualized support.

The NEET group will be a special target in the re-evaluation of our social support system. 

Now, despite the increased emphasis on preventive action and the presence of environmental factors, we will always need to offer services to those in need. NGOs play an important role when it comes to services, but also when it comes to preventive work, because they keep their finger on the pulse and can easily identify what actions need to be taken.

Thankfully, attitudes have changed and there is no longer any shame in seeking help because of mental and social difficulties, but the demand for such services has been growing rapidly, as we all know. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour has long supported the activities of NGOs that provide assistance in this field (including Geðhjálp, Grófin geðrækt, Píeta samtökin, Hugarafl and Bergið headspace).

Dear conference participants,

Each and every one of us has something good to offer, even if we sometimes don't believe it ourselves. With an increased emphasis on intentional peer support, individuals who themselves have experienced mental health issues or addiction, can indeed provide support to others in the same situation, and thus playing an important role in society, which is essential for every person.

Now, as this good conference is coming to an end, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to be here with you. I am confident that this is an important step towards the development and implementation of strategies aimed at improving mental health and mental health services.