People affected by a rare and undiagnosed condition live with an accumulative impact on their mental wellbeing. Specifically at an individual level, people living with a rare disease (PLWRD) can have an associated mental health co-morbidity, and at a population level, the community live with the increased psychological impact associated with the rare disease journey across all stages of life. Furthermore, the rare disease community has increased exposure to social inequality and discrimination, which are risk factors affecting poor mental wellbeing.
The rare disease community has identified the need to look beyond the physiological symptoms of a rare condition, and recognise the importance of psychological support as a fully integrated part of the coordination of care. Without support, there will continue to be a detrimental impact on the mental health of those affected by rare conditions, hindering them from effective participation in society.
This webinar will share the discussions held at theย EURORDIS Membership Meetingย satellite workshop with members from the rare disease community who were not able to attend. It is an opportunity to take stock of the actions being taken by the European Commission in the recently published Communication on the Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health and identify how the rare disease community can use this refreshed political support to address mental health across Europe.
The outcome of the webinar will be the launch of a public call for expressions of interest to join the new EURORDIS Mental Wellbeing Partnership Network, where patient representatives will partner with experts to identify common mental health needs and inform EURORDISโ strategic and policy action.