In September 2025, Mental Health for Romania organised and moderated a panel at the Economic Forum in Karpacz, one of Europe’s largest gatherings of leaders across government, business, academia, and civil society. The session was led by Maria Pascale, Founder and CEO of Mental Health for Romania, and explored how different countries are addressing mental health challenges and what we can learn from one another.
Together, the speakers explored how mental health services are structured in their countries, how today’s young people are affected by mounting pressures, and how digital innovation is transforming mental health support.
The panel featured:
🇰🇷 Mr. Choi Yeon Woo, founder and CEO of Mental Health Korea;
🇨🇦 Ms. Sheryl Boswell, founder and CEO of Youth Mental Health Canada;
🇸🇪 Dr. Ralph Sabelberg, psychiatrist and human rights advocate in Denmark and Sweden;
🇲🇩 Prof. Dr. Jana Chihai, psychiatrist and coordinator of the National Mental Health Program for the Republic of Moldova;
🇬🇧 Ms. Alina Ivan, psychology researcher and founder of Mendara maternal mental health in the United Kingdom.
1. How Mental Health Systems Are Structured Around the World
Across the panel, a common thread emerged: mental health systems everywhere are evolving from hospital-based, medicalised models toward community-based and holistic approaches. Yet, fragmentation, stigma, and inequality remain persistent barriers.
🇨🇦 In Canada, Sheryl Boswell described a system that remains largely medical and institutional. Care is referral-based, beginning with family doctors and moving up to specialists, but the approach is reactive rather than preventive. Although government funding for mental health has increased over the past decade, there is no lived-experience leadership guiding how that money is used, nor clear accountability for outcomes.
🇬🇧 🇸🇪 Both the UK and Sweden have systems divided into primary and secondary care, where general practitioners (GPs) act as the first point of contact and coordinate access to specialist support. In the UK, people experiencing common mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression are typically assessed by their GP and may receive medication or be referred to therapy, while those with more complex conditions are referred to secondary care services. In Sweden, the pathway is similarly structured: before being referred to psychiatry, patients usually try two different types of antidepressants and one type of therapy within primary care.
🇸🇪 Dr. Ralph Sabelberg explained that after Sweden’s 1995 psychiatric reform, care moved from asylums into community settings, with municipalities and healthcare teams working closely together. Although this shift improved rehabilitation and access, the country still struggles with long waiting lists. To improve access, he restructured his practice into a multidisciplinary team, including nurses, psychologists, counselors, and doctors who shared first appointments and met weekly to develop three-month treatment plans. This model significantly reduced waiting times to see a psychiatrist, from about three months to within the same week, while maintaining continuity across the team.
🇬🇧 The UK, as described by Alina Ivan, has seen a similar evolution through the National Health Service (NHS), as the system has increasingly moved care into the community, developing crisis teams and multidisciplinary support. Yet strict service boundaries still lead to people “falling through the cracks,” particularly between community and crisis services. A new wave of integrated neighborhood mental health centers aims to address this by uniting care under one roof.
🇲🇩 In Moldova, Professor Jana Chihai described a decade-long transformation from hospital-centered care to a network of 40 community mental health centers. These centers anchor an integrated system that connects primary care, hospitals, and social services. A recent intersectoral mental health and wellbeing law – spanning health, education, and social domains – marks a significant policy step forward, even as workforce shortages and the migration of medical professionals abroad remain obstacles.
🇰🇷 In South Korea, CEO Yeon Woo Choi painted a contrasting picture: easy access to doctors but long waits for specialists, no insurance coverage for psychological counseling, and deeply entrenched stigma. Hospital stays are the longest among developed countries, averaging 187 days, and readmission rates remain high due to limited social support. However, government attention and innovation, including AI-driven suicide prevention, signal a growing commitment to reform.
2. Youth Mental Health: Rising Challenges and New Responses
Turning to youth mental health, the panel highlighted what many are calling a global crisis. Economic pressure, academic stress, and social media exposure are converging to create record levels of anxiety, depression, and burnout among young people.
🇰🇷 In South Korea, the toll is stark: suicide is the leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 30. Choi described an education system defined by intense competition, where children face academic expectations from as young as four, and limited emotional support. His organisation focuses on peer support networks, working alongside government initiatives that are introducing mental health literacy in schools and suicide prevention into national policy.
🇬🇧 In the UK, Alina Ivan noted that rates of poor mental health among youth have surged from 15% to 25% in just five years, with hospital admissions for mental health crises up by 65%. She mentioned a recent study showing that this cannot be explained by greater awareness or overdiagnosis alone, pointing instead to poor sleep, financial and housing insecurity, major funding cuts to youth services (around 73% over the past 15 years), and pressures from social media as key drivers. In response, new community-based youth hubs and school interventions are being developed to offer earlier, more holistic support.
🇲🇩 In Moldova, specialized youth services are still developing, but progress is tangible. Chihai outlined how youth-friendly centers now offer counseling and prevention programmes, while the country is training school psychologists to detect early signs of distress. Government initiatives to tackle bullying and promote healthy lifestyles are reframing mental health as an intersectoral priority, spanning education, health, and employment.
🇸🇪 In Sweden, Dr. Ralph Sabelberg shared that diagnoses among young people have risen significantly in recent years: ADHD cases have increased by 50% between 2019 and 2022, anxiety and depression have doubled since 2006, and autism diagnoses among 10–17-year-olds have grown sixfold over the past decade. He noted that this rise likely reflects both expanded access to psychiatric services and the growing impact of socio-economic challenges. Continued government investment (over €200 million in the past decade) aims to strengthen youth psychiatry and digital access, though capacity challenges persist.
🇨🇦 In Canada, Boswell spoke of overlapping crises: youth mental health, youth suicide, and affordability. High academic competition and financial stress weigh heavily on students. Yet, she also pointed to progress in recognizing mental health as a chronic condition in postsecondary education, enabling access to direct federal funding for therapy and accommodations. Boswell called for a “whole-school approach” – systemic support, early education, teacher training, and policies that move away from punitive responses toward compassion and inclusion.
3. Digital Innovation and Its Limits
The conversation concluded with a look at how technology is reshaping mental health care. As more people turn to AI-powered tools for support, the panelists explored the most promising innovations emerging in their countries, as well as the importance of using technology responsibly and equitably.
🇰🇷 In South Korea, national investments in AI are leading the way: from AI-driven online safety measures to government-approved digital therapies. A government-led system now uses artificial intelligence to monitor online spaces in real time, detect and remove harmful or suicidal content, and flag potential risks before they escalate. Choi’s own organisation developed an AI-powered peer support system that detects early signs of crisis and connects users to human support.
🇬🇧 The UK is also advancing in this space, with AI triage systems like Limbic helping patients navigate access to care. These tools collect information through short conversations, analyse symptoms, and direct individuals toward the most appropriate NHS service. Ivan also highlighted the promise of digital therapeutics – evidence-based apps prescribed for conditions like insomnia or anxiety. Yet, she noted persistent barriers in integration and regional inequality, where some areas remain “pen-and-paper” while others are fully digital.
🇲🇩 In Moldova, digital transformation is still in its early stages. The pandemic accelerated adoption of online screening tools, and the next step is to introduce AI to assist mental health professionals.
🇸🇪 Sweden has embraced telepsychiatry, particularly in remote regions like Lapland. Sabelberg’s experience showed that while video consultations improve accessibility, human connection remains essential. A first in-person meeting, he explained, builds trust that sustains virtual care thereafter.
🇨🇦 In Canada, the pandemic drove a rapid expansion of telehealth and online therapy. But Boswell emphasized the country’s digital divide, which leaves rural and Indigenous communities behind. To address these gaps, her organisation distributes printed wellness workbooks based on CBT and DBT practices, ensuring that support is available even where digital access is limited.
In this discussion, we explored the mental health landscape – from how systems are structured and accessed, to the wellbeing of young people, and finally, the growing influence of digital tools. Across regions, the discussion revealed that, despite differing contexts, many of the challenges and priorities in mental health are shared. The panelists highlighted the importance of building more integrated and community-based systems of care, providing stronger support for young people facing social and economic pressures, and using technology thoughtfully to enhance, not replace, human connection. By bringing together diverse perspectives, the panel created space for learning and collaboration across countries.
