COPENHAGEN Karen Frese was 18 years old when she started experiencing feelings of anxiety and depression. It was difficult to get out of bed, I couldn’t bear to go to school and taking care of housework was too heavy to even think about.
– I would have had to wait about ten months to see a public psychiatrist. But I didn’t have time to wait that long, says now 22-year-old physiotherapy student Frese Yelle at her part-time workplace in Copenhagen.
Thanks to the support of his parents and his health insurance, Frese got an appointment with a psychiatrist much faster. There, he was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and an unstable personality. He went to a private psychiatrist until he got into public treatment and group therapy.
In Denmark, the number of mental health patients has increased by 30% in the last ten years, and more than half a million people suffer from mental health problems – while there are even fewer staff.
Danish Broadcasting DR’s report (you switch to another service) may have to wait more than 60 weeks to see a psychiatrist. Four years ago, the average waiting time was a good 20 weeks.
“Mental health treatment has been lagging behind for years”
In the fall, the parties in Denmark’s parliament, i.e. the People’s Assembly, announced their agreement together the ten-year plan (you switch to another service)which aims to get rid of the crisis in psychiatric care.
The goal is to establish low-threshold mental health services in municipalities, promote psychiatric treatment and access to treatment, increase information to avoid stigmatization, strengthen cooperation between different experts and improve the research environment. In addition, there should be at least one hundred more psychiatrists in the country. About 150 million euros have been earmarked for the plan each year.
– Mental illnesses affect almost all families. Mental health treatment has been lagging behind for years, even though patients, relatives and health workers have demanded action, the Minister of Health Magnus Heunicke announced on behalf of all party leaders.
The politicians in charge of health care and social services of the ruling party Social Democrats did not have time to interview during the current election campaign, even though they stated that the topic was very important.
“The treatment recommendations were not insignificant even before the shooting”
The shooting incident that happened in the Fields shopping center in Copenhagen in July brought mental health services and especially young people’s mental illness even more into the spotlight. The 22-year-old man who killed three people had already been in mental health treatment before.
On the day of the shooting, he had reportedly called the helpline, but the phone service was closed at the time of the call due to summer schedules.
More on the topic: Three killed in a shooting at a shopping center in Copenhagen – two 17-year-olds and one middle-aged man were killed in the attack
After the shooting incident, the Danish Ministry of Health and the Capital Region Health Care District established a working group to investigate the background of the incident and improve mental health care in the country.
In mid-October, the working group announced that the investigation did not find a single clear reason for the shooting incident.
At the same time, the working group announced six proposals to improve the continuity of treatment, diagnosis, evaluation of drug effects, criminal monitoring of outpatients, and cooperation between different fields.
The chairman of the working group, the medical director of psychiatry in the North Jutland region, spoke at the press conference Tina Gram Larsen did not directly say what had gone wrong with the shooter’s access to treatment.
– These recommendations were not insignificant even before the shooting. Now it is good to review and implement these recommendations better, Gram Larsen formulated for Danish journalists.
In addition, the working group members reminded that not all mental illnesses are dangerous. They said they were concerned about the stigma attached to mental illness.
It is precisely for this reason that Karen Frese has spoken openly about her experiences in organization activities and in the media. However, he himself reminds that he is only peer support, not a professional helper.
Frese thinks the system is confusing. A person suffering from mental health problems has to find the necessary treatment himself, instead of someone telling him clearly whether he needs psychology, psychiatry, medication, hospitalization or all of these.
– Many relatives of young people suffering from mental health problems have contacted me and asked how they should act. It’s heartbreaking that people don’t know where to get help.
“It took a shooting incident for the decision-makers to wake up”
At the beginning of November, parliamentary elections will be held in Denmark, and mental health services have been one of the themes of the elections. That was also the case in the municipal and regional elections a year ago. Now the Danes are once again thinking about what is the most important election theme for them and what should be addressed by the decision-makers of the upcoming parliaments.
From Copenhagen From Maikun Bech Needham the answer comes almost before the question is finished.
– Psychiatric treatment. You may have to wait even years for treatment, and this needs to be changed.
Just went to early voting Andreas Holm-Hansen emphasizes climate issues first, but also calls for better health services than at present.
– It’s terrible to see how bad the public health care is. Especially the state of psychiatric care and the long waiting times worry me.
Student Asta Linean according to which it is difficult to find out which party would really invest in mental health treatment and in general the shortage of nurses.
– All the parties are talking about them. But now it should really work.
Karen Frese, who is now feeling better and has reduced her medication, plans to vote for the party that she believes will do something about it. He thinks it is good that the parties and health authorities have made a ten-year plan and a list of recommendations.
However, according to Frese, fixing the old system is not enough, the entire mental health system in Denmark needs a complete overhaul and considerably more resources. In fact, this should have been done a long time ago, he states emphatically.
– Apparently, it took a fatal shooting incident for the politicians to finally wake up to the problem.
You can discuss the topic on 28.10. until 11 p.m.
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The mass shooting in Denmark sparked a discussion about mental health care: “There is a risk that those who need help will not get it”