ICE - health | All stories

In the mid 1980's Hungary regularly made the headlines for one unhappy reason - it had the world's highest suicide rate - an average of 46 suicides a year for every hundred thousand people. And many thought rates of depression and suicide would increase after the fall of communism. But to the surprise of many, the number of suicides has fallen.

Community-based care was a little known concept under communism, when the prevalent approach was to keep the mentally ill in institutions, and out of sight. But things are slowly changing, as steps are taken around the region towards destigmatisation and re-integration. In the Czech Republic, for instance, there is now a growing number of cafes which are helping provide the mentally ill with a route back to normal life.

The World Health Organisation says depression is number four in the list of the world's major diseases in terms of time suffered. And the problem is multiplying. By the year 2020, depression is expected to be the 2nd most common health complaint in all ages and both sexes.

For the past several years police statistics in Poland have been registering close to 5,000 suicides annually. What is most alarming is a steady 15% annual rise in suicides among the youngest generation.

Slovenia may be a small country, but it is full of castles. After the Second World War, these castles were nationalized by Tito's socialist government and in some cases converted into prisons, homeless shelters or mental institutions.

A couple of years ago Hungary's Interior Ministry and Ministry for Equal Opportunities set up what is known as the "Elderly-Friendly Local Government Award". It goes to towns and villages which do the best job of integrating the elderly into their local communities.

As in all of Central Europe the average age in Poland is on the rise. At the same time many young people are holding down two jobs and trying to get ahead in the world. This leaves little time for taking care of the elderly. As Radio Polonia found out, some Poles are breaking away from the traditional extended family and placing their parents in western style private nursing homes.

It was comedian Groucho Marx who said: "Anyone can get old. All you have to do is live long enough". But what Groucho didn't say but most doctors stress is that exercise is important if we want to live long enough and to have quality of life. In Slovakia, more and more women are finding that a good work-out in the gym can make them look and feel younger. Katarina Richterova put on her leotards and went to join them:

Statistics show that twelve percent of Czechs are now over sixty-five years old. Nothing exceptional about this, but the number will rise significantly when a big group of Czechs who are now in their fifties reaches retirement age, putting a bigger strain on the state budget and on relatives.

We've been hearing how Central Europe's aging population is expected to put a strain on budgets and care facilities in Poland and the Czech Republic. But in Slovenia, there's a new twist to this old story. Slovenia has the lowest fertility rate in the entire European Union according to the European Statistics Office. And although the population is slowly increasing due to immigration, the country is undergoing a very noticeable demographic shift. And, this "greying" of Slovenia is expected to bring major changes to the political landscape.