BRUSSELS: Mental illness has become Europe's "unseen killer", contributing to some 58,000 suicides a year, and requires broad research into its treatment, the European Union's health chief said on Wednesday.

"More Europeans die from suicide each year than are killed in car accidents or as a result of murder," EU Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said in a statement. "Yet mental health receives surprisingly little attention, you could say mental illness is Europe's unseen killer."

Most suicides in the 25-nation bloc are linked to mental illness, especially depression. Fifteen percent of people who suffer severe depression commit suicide while 56 per cent attempt to kill themselves, the Commission said.

Kyprianou said he was drafting a strategy on promoting good mental health. The Commission funds EU projects aimed at gaining a better understanding of mental illness and how to treat it. The EU executive Commission has a limited role in healthcare as it is the preserve of EU states. -Reuters