Mental Health and Brain Health: Still Separate Dimensions in the Italian Mindset

Italians continue to regard “mental health” and “brain health” as distinct domains, as though they belonged to separate spheres. At the same time, however, there is growing recognition that being healthy also means achieving psychological wellbeing. This emerges from the report “Mental Health and Brain Health in Italians’ Conception of Health”, conducted by Censis in collaboration with Lundbeck Italia on a representative sample of 1,000 adults.

Some 62.8% of respondents believe the two dimensions do not overlap. Brain diseases are primarily associated with brain tumours (42.8%) and dementia (40.7%), while mental health problems are mainly linked to depression (52.0%) and forms of paranoia and mania (34.5%). This distinction suggests that awareness of the interdependence between neurological and psychiatric dimensions remains limited.

Psychological distress, particularly among young people, is increasing. According to Istat data, the proportion of adolescents reporting severe distress has risen from 13.1% to 16.0%, while among those aged 18–34 it has increased from 17.5% to 19.5%. In this context, collective attention to psychological wellbeing is growing: for 31.3% of Italians, health means psychophysical and mental balance — a figure that rises to 44.0% among younger respondents.

Prevention is considered both possible and necessary by 90.3% of those surveyed, with strong emphasis on actions embedded in everyday settings, from schools to workplaces. However, perceptions of the National Health Service are critical: more than half of Italians consider the NHS’s effectiveness in addressing neurological, neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders to be limited or inadequate.

Significant stigma toward psychiatric conditions also persists: 67.9% believe such illnesses are still associated with shame and discrimination. At the same time, willingness to seek professional help is increasing. Fully 82.0% of Italians state they would seek support if needed, indicating a gradual normalisation of turning to mental health care.

Further reading: In 2025, more than 140,000 child and adolescent neuropsychiatry visits were carried out in Lombardy — the highest number ever recorded.