European Psychiatric Association rolls out landmark action plan to modernize care and protect vulnerable mental health communities across Europe
The Action Plan represents the first time in its 42-year history that the EPA has integrated clinical, research and educational activities into a single programme across substantially different psychiatric fields. Designed to target major unmet needs across Europe, the Plan spans brain health, treatment delivery, physical-mental health comorbidities, stigma reduction, and preventive measures in mental health. The programme brings the EPA and its stakeholders together behind six Presidential Task Forces focused on delivering real improvements in care for people living with severe mental disorders across Europe.
As a 2026 priority, the EPA will introduce measures to strengthen the mental health protection of vulnerable groups as rising geopolitical tensions, ongoing conflict at European borders and continued forced migration place increasing strain on at-risk populations. Recent rollbacks in LGBTQIA+ rights in parts of Central and Western Europe further heighten risks for a community in which around 50% experience major depression or anxiety disorders. Through the Action Plan, the EPA is calling for targeted, evidence-based support and coordinated efforts to build a stigma-free environment for all communities.1,2,3
The Action Plan is also set to fast-track precision psychiatry across Europe in 2026. Recent European data highlights the urgency for progress: studies show that in the Netherlands, 25% of adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) report at least one previous psychiatric misdiagnosis, and in Italy, 75% of patients receive their ASD diagnosis an average of eight years after their first evaluation by mental health services. To help address this, the first phase of the Action Plan will introduce comprehensive assessments across domains such as neurocognition, physical comorbidities, major life events and illness staging, laying the foundation for more accurate diagnoses and ultimately more tailored treatments for patients across Europe.4,5
Alongside high rates of misdiagnosis, Europe also faces an ongoing shortage of psychiatrists, with only 9.9 per 100,000 people, despite 17% of the population currently living with a mental health condition, making strengthening the workforce a long-term priority for the EPA’s President.6,7
Professor Fiorillo said: “For more than a century, psychiatric diagnoses have been made solely on the basis of signs and symptoms over time. Precision psychiatry represents a new paradigm for mental health, reflecting approaches already established in disciplines such as oncology and immunology. The Action Plan sets out practical steps that can be implemented now to move psychiatry closer to these precision-based standards.”
He added: “But achieving this future also depends on building a sustainable workforce. Supporting medical students, residents and early-career psychiatrists through training and mentoring is critical to the EPA’s long-term agenda. The EPA will also continue working with user and carer organisations so that lived experience shapes the models of care we build.”
Building on these priorities, the Action Plan will also address the substantial physical health inequalities faced by people with severe mental disorders with urgency in 2026. By 2050, cardiovascular disease prevalence in Europe is expected to increase by 90% and diabetes cases are projected to reach 72 million. In response, the Action Plan will strengthen the EPA’s collaboration with the European Society of Cardiology and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. It will also support expanded training on physical health, closer cooperation with other medical disciplines, and the wider implementation of “lifestyle psychiatry” interventions across Europe to improve patients’ overall health and wellbeing.8,9
Each Presidential Task Force will produce consensus statements, clinical guidelines, educational materials, surveys and research projects in collaboration with leading scientific bodies and advocacy groups.
To meet the goals of the Action Plan, the EPA is calling on policymakers to strengthen investment in the mental health workforce and infrastructure, expand care into community settings including schools and workplaces, and promote responsible digital innovation and public awareness on psychosocial risk factors.
The full EPA Action Plan 2025–2027, Leaving no one behind – a roadmap for better and personalized mental health care, is available here. Further information on the 34th European Congress of Psychiatry can be found at epa‑congress.org.
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Notes to editors
About Professor Andrea Fiorillo
Professor Andrea Fiorillo is President of the European Psychiatric Association for the 2025 to 2027 term. He is Full Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy. He has more than 30 years’ experience as a clinician and researcher and has been actively involved in the EPA for over 20 years, working with 11 previous EPA Presidents.
About the European Psychiatric Association
With active individual members in as many as 100+ countries and 47 National Psychiatric Association Members who represent more than 80,000 European psychiatrists, the European Psychiatric Association is the main association representing psychiatry in Europe. The EPA’s activities address the interests of psychiatrists in academia, research and practice throughout all stages of career development. The EPA deals with psychiatry and its related disciplines and focuses on the improvement of care for the mentally ill as well as on the development of professional excellence. More information: https://www.europsy.net/
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International Diabetes Federation. (2026). Europe: Diabetes Regional Report 2000 — 2050. IDF Diabetes Atlas. https://diabetesatlas.org/data-by-location/region/europe/ (Accessed March 2026) END