In the last 4 years, pandemics, geopolitical conflicts, economic crises, climate change and rising living costs have exacerbated already poor levels of Mental Health all around Europe, particularly among children, adolescents and vulnerable groups. These challenges have also underlined that there could be no health without Mental Health, as it is vital to individual and community well-being and quality of life, interdependent with every country’s success in improving education, training and employment outcomes.

Since Mental Health is a complex phenomenon, determined and influenced by individual, social, and environmental determinants, understanding and monitoring its trends requires a 360° approach. For this reason, The European House – Ambrosetti in partnership with Angelini Pharma has developed the “Headway - Mental Health Index 4.0”, which analyses the performances of UE-27+UK countries through 54 KPIs in 3 macro-areas: Determinants of Mental Health, Mental Health status of the population, and Responsiveness of Systems to needs in healthcare, workplaces, schools, and society.

Conceived and launched in 2017, "Headway" is now a well-known multidisciplinary platform for strategic reflection, analysis, dialogue and comparison between various European experiences.
In 2024, a specific focus has been added on the Economics of Mental Health and Wellbeing, in particular on demonstrating the economic burden of mental illness and the potential cost benefits of investing in mental health prevention and promotion across all areas. Considering that at least 1 in 4 people experiences a Mental Health issue at some point in their life, challenges are enormous but the rewards of meeting them are even greater.