Friederike Schwarzkopf, Arjan van der Star, Giuseppina Lo Moro
As the current COVID-19 crisis reminds us, public mental health may still lack full recognition in public health, despite numerous European public health agendas that underline the importance of mental health within the public health domain. We examine the position of public mental health in European public health and how it is represented in current research. Moreover, we explore how public mental health could play a key role in both seizing present-day opportunities (e.g. telemedicine advancements) and tackling future challenges (e.g. climate change and the risk for widening health inequities) in public health. To further population health in an equitable manner, an inclusive and holistic approach to health is needed to sustain resilient people in healthy environments. As next-generation researchers, we call on our peers to amplify their voices and reshape the public health research agenda by further prioritizing public mental health research.
