a major national cause extended to 2026 but still without concrete effects
The announcement should have delighted professionals in the sector. Mental health, a major national cause of 2025, is extended to 2026, the government declared on Thursday, November 27. Initially supported in September 2024 by Michel Barnier, former Prime Minister, it was paved with good intentions: destigmatization, prevention and improvement of access to care throughout the territory.
Three Ministers of Health in more than a year and severe budgetary constraints later, it has not gone beyond the stage of a government communication tool. Too bad, because when major national causes go beyond slogans, they really have influence.
Lack of caregivers, bed closures
What happened to mental health in 2025? The “My psychological support” system, created in April 2022, has been expanded to allow up to twelve reimbursed sessions per year. But it only meets part of the needs and remains underused due to a lack of available psychologists, particularly in rural areas. In the public psychiatry field, the teams do not see any improvement. Difficulties in accessing care have even increased in several areas: endless waiting times, lack of caregivers, bed closures, etc. While around 3 million people suffer from severe psychological disorders in France (Public Health France), the year 2025 did not mark a turning point.
“There has been no concrete action,” laments Dr. Marie-José Cortès, president of the Union of Hospital Psychiatrists. The announcements were followed neither by significant reinforcements nor by coordinated organization. Asked about this lack of results, Michel Barnier calls for patience. “I think we need more time,” he argued on November 18, in a hearing before the commission of inquiry into the failures of public policies for the management of mental health.
The example of cancer
When the State, professionals and associations move together, a great cause can truly transform public health. The three cancer plans, implemented between 2003 and 2019, demonstrate this. Under the leadership of Jacques Chirac, then President of the Republic, after the States General organized in 1998 by the League Against Cancer, they generalized screening, developed research and allowed equal access to care across the country. “All the conditions were met: a presidential plan, adequate funding and federations willing to work around this pathology,” remembers Philippe Bergerot, president of the League Against Cancer.
The leading cause of death in France in 2000, cancer is now a better-treated disease, with 223 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021, compared to 235 on average in the European Union*. Will mental health be able to benefit from this same dynamic in 2026? Professor Michel Lejoyeux, president of the National Psychiatry Commission and co-pilot of the great national mental health cause, is optimistic: “If the resources remain concentrated where they are most needed, near the sick, they will be useful.” Next year will tell whether patients’ daily lives really benefit from this.
* Source: OECD/European Commission, “Cancer country profiles”, 2025.
