The imperative to put mental health at the center of public debate was highlighted in the context of “Power and Purpose: A Symposium on Mental Health and Democratic Agency” held in Athens. Welcoming participants at the event venue and online, Hahrie Han, Director of the SNF Agora Institute, highlighted how mental health interacts with politics, adding that “we need to explore how many people can participate in our communities and our democracies.”

At the start of his presentation, Ronald J. Daniels, president of Johns Hopkins University, referred to Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ speech to Congress a year ago, where he hailed the “miracle» of democracy that unites the Greek and American people.

“People must be able to participate, interact, and control the power of political institutions,” added Ronald J. Daniels. “It is simply true that citizens are healthier when democracy is healthy. And democracy is healthier when citizens are healthy” he said.

“The failure of democracy correlates with the deterioration of citizens’ mental health. We don’t have to look far to find evidence of this. Today, dissatisfaction with democracy has reached record levels. And for the first time in 20 years, the number of closed autocracies in the world has surpassed the number of liberal democracies. At the same time we are witnessing a crisis of despair in many democracies leading to high rates of suicide, loneliness and disconnection. And this leads many vulnerable people to believe authoritarian promises of quick fixes and common enemiesRonald J. Daniels noted, adding that people’s trust in democracies must be restored.

“Prioritizing the issue of mental health is a moral imperative” said John Sarbanes, Member of the House of Representatives of the United States of America.

“We need to step up and build a strategy for mental health resilience» he added, using the example of the ancient “Agora”, where people gathered to discuss and decide on the issues of their communities.

“If you enter the Market with a sense of confidence and hope and the belief that your voice is welcome, then you are empowered and empowered” stressed Congressman John Sarbanes, noting that “if people, good citizens, withdraw from the Market, that allows extremists to come in, take over the space and end any conversation.”

Congressman John Sarbanes spoke about the importance of supporting citizens in their efforts to participate in the democratic process by making it easier to register and go to the polls, especially for young people and first-time voters.

He also talked about “reducing the importance of money in public policies‘, by mobilizing ordinary citizens in fundraising campaigns – and not just in seeking donations from ‘deep pockets’.

He specifically described his own personal experience and an “experiment” he conducted trying to collect small donations from ordinary voters, which yielded very positive results. “When people feel personally connected to their leaders and feel included in the policy work, they will want to contribute both time and resources,” he said.

“Good, strong public policy is good for the mind and soul” concluded.