The new Prime Minister announced in his speech that this subject which is “close to his heart” will indeed be the great national cause of the year 2025.
Michel Barnier announced this Tuesday, October 1 during his general policy speech that, as RMC anticipated, mental health would be the great national cause of 2025. The new Prime Minister notes that “successive crises, and in particular that of Covid” , have had a significant impact on the mental health of many French people, and this affects one in five French people today.
“Psychological illnesses are the main cost item for health insurance,” he says.
“These illnesses can be treated and prevention is essential. (…) This is an issue that is particularly close to my heart. And I want to say it clearly: mental health is everyone’s business: the State, communities, businesses , associations. We will therefore make mental health the great national cause of the year 2025″, he promises.
The year 2024 was marked by the seal of sport with the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, and a budget of 10 million euros had been allocated to this “great national cause”.
13 million French people suffer from it
Professionals in the mental health sector had not been warned of this desire by Michel Barnier. As RMC explained earlier on the morning of October 1, some said they were “surprised”, in a good way, that the new Prime Minister had addressed this theme in his first television interview.
The association leaders were “confident but cautious”, as summarized by Jean-Philippe Cavroy of Mental Health France, who hopes that this will not just be an announcement effect. Especially since a “great national cause” cannot be improvised and will have to find a way to effectively help the 13 million French people who suffer from mental disorders.
