The Pohjola and Suomi Mutual medical award granted to Professor Jouko Lönnqvist

The Pohjola and Suomi Mutual medical award of EUR 17,000 was granted to Professor Jouko Lönnqvist today for his unique achievements as a researcher in the field of psychiatry, a disseminator of research information and an advocate for societal discourse. Jouko Lönnqvist affirms that there have been positive developments in the mental health of Finns, even though one easily gets a different impression based on the media images.

Jouko Lönnqvist is Research Professor at the National Public Health Institute and leader of the Department of Mental Health and Alcohol Research. He is also Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Helsinki and chief physician of the Department of Psychiatry at the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa. For more than 30 years, he has been carrying out important work on e.g. research and prevention of mental overload, depression, self-destructive behaviour, problems relating to alcohol use, and psychoses. While working as Research Professor at the National Public Health Institute, he has built a knowledge centre for mental health, whose activities are also significant at the international level.

In addition to his professional life, Jouko Lönnqvist has been acclaimed as a disseminator of research information and an advocate of societal discourse. He has acted as the chairman of the Boards of the Finnish Medical Society Duodecim and the Finnish Medical Foundation for several years. He also holds several positions of trust in his own field both in Finland and abroad, as well as several honorary and research memberships. He has won acclaim in the field of education and consulting and written books on e.g. organisational development and leadership.

Finns’ mental health developments more positive than generally assumed

According to studies – and contrary to frequently presented views – there has been a positive development in the mental health of both Finnish children and adults. The number of people who feel stressed has not changed significantly over the last decades. Even though many people experience burnout, the levels of severe burnout have turned out to be rather low.
- The number of suicides has decreased by a third over the last 15 years. The annual number of suicides has fallen from 1,500 to approximately 1,000. This means we have been able to save approximately 100,000 active life years in the adult population over this period. Work on suicide prevention must nevertheless continue, Lönnqvist states.

Depression and alcohol are important challenges

The factors responsible for mental health disorders are increasingly well known, and many new, effective treatment methods are available. However, the need for treatment clearly exceeds the resources available. Central challenges in the field of mental health include depression, alcohol, psychoses and the promotion of children’s mental health.

- Our hectic lifestyle is associated with problems of life control, exhaustion and depression. This results in a considerable decrease in our ability to work and function and greatly reduces our quality of life. Depression continues to be a clearly under-treated mental health disorder. The treatment of depression needs to be supported with both national and regional treatment programmes, says Lönnqvist.

- Increasing use of alcohol causes cumulative health and social problems. We will inevitably have to pay a price for these problems. It would be very wise to prepare for the risks by seeking to reduce alcohol consumption by all possible methods. Availability, taxation and early-age use should be tackled with clear interventions by the state.

The treatment of psychoses must be developed

More than three per cent of the population have a severe mental health disorder ranking as a psychosis. This is more than is commonly known. The affected persons require intensive, high-quality psychiatric treatment in the future, too.

- The psychiatric treatment system should be developed so that the care services for those who need demanding treatment would be more clearly centralised than they are today. Those with the most severe problems would then be better able to benefit from high-quality modern treatment options.

- Mental health is founded on the interaction between our genetic makeup and our environmental factors. Modern research has improved our knowledge of the prerequisites for mental health. However, practical development work must be supported by even more research than what is conducted today. Research and treatment should focus on all stages of life, but especially on children and adolescents, emphasises Lönnqvist.

The 26th medical award

Eino Halonen, President and CEO of Suomi Mutual, and Tomi Yli-Kyyny, President of Pohjola, will present the award to Jouko Lönnqvist at the Finnish Medical Convention (Lääkäripäivät) on 11 January 2006. The Pohjola and Suomi Mutual medical award has now been granted for the 26th time and thus for more than 25 years.

In connection with the presentation of the award, Jouko Lönnqvist will give an honorary lecture entitled ”Where is mental health going?” at Helsinki Fair Centre on 11 January 2006 at 12.15 p.m.

A photo of Jouko Lönnqvist is available at the address www.pohjola.fi

Further information

Jouko Lönnqvist, Professor, National Public Health Institute, tel. +358-(0)9-4744 8212, jouko.lonnqvist@ktl.fi
Esa Rahkonen, Chief Physician, Pohjola, tel. +358-(0)10-559 2315 or esa.rahkonen@pohjola.fi