Ruth Peetoom – Chairwoman of Dutch Mental Healthcare

97% of Dutch students experience stress, out of which 50% have psychological complaints, such as feelings of anxiety and sadness. In recent years these numbers have been on the rise, which is one of the topics we will be discussing with Ruth Peetoom, chair of the Dutch GGZ, the representative body of mental healthcare providers. Before that, she was chair of the CDA, the Christian-Democrat party, and a preacher in her earlier years. What is her take on being mentally healthy, why are the waitlists so long, and are we only going to be talking to AI-psychologists in a few years? How has COVID impacted mental health, and why is everyone suddenly doing drugs? We’ll talk about all this and more on World Mental Health Day, the 10th of October, from 13:00 – 14:00.