Early mental healthcare to receive nearly €280,000 boost

Estonia's Ministry of Social Affairs is expanding early mental health services with an additional €277,000 in funding. The aim is to strengthen a stepped-care system that ranges from self-help tools to specialist treatment, improving access and reducing late intervention. Minister of Social Affairs Karmen Joller (Reform) said the plan is to centralize resources in a single digital platform — the health information system. Joller described the stepped-care model as a tiered system: the first level focuses on self-help resources such as books and online materials; the second involves low-intensity psychological support delivered outside specialist settings, including by school and municipal psychologists; the third is psychotherapy, with collaboration between a family doctor and psychotherapist; the fourth is psychiatric care. Nonprofit Vaikuseminutid, a state-funded early intervention provider, emphasized the importance of prevention. Board member Lii Kaudne noted that young people already struggling with mental health may not be open to accepting help. She said mindfulness-based exercises can help manage stress and build resilience, pointing to studies showing they effectively train the parasympathetic nervous system, aiding stress recovery. Under the new scheme, over 1,000 people are expected to receive early mental healthcare annually.