Fact: Mental illness among young people
More than three out of four young people between the ages of 16–29 state that they have a good mental well-being.
73 percent of the girls and 46 percent of the boys state that they have problems with anxiety, worry or anxiety.
39 percent in the same age group say they have trouble sleeping, and 27 percent say they feel stressed.
16 percent of young people are judged to have serious mental stress. The measure indicates what proportion of the population may have a psychiatric condition.
Source: The Norwegian Public Health Authority’s national public health survey 2022.
Children under 18 develop all the time: physically, cognitively and socially.
Anna Lundh, senior physician in child and adolescent psychiatry (bup) in Region Stockholm and doctor of medicine in child psychiatry at the Karolinska Institutet, emphasizes that it is essential that this development is allowed to continue.
“Disruption in development and affected everyday functioning are linked to negative outcomes in adulthood,” she says.
A child who is exposed to excessive demands – where more is required than the child can handle – risks suffering from symptoms. It could be, for example, that the child does not pass his schooling, while there is no possibility to adapt the teaching, says Anna Lundh.
— You get an affected sense of self, and feel that you are not good enough. This in turn leads to increased stress, sleep disturbance, anxiety and depression.
At risk of becoming a “home sitter”
Right now, 24,700 children are waiting in line for bup for a first visit, examination or treatment.
For children who have to wait in a queue for bup, school can often suffer. The children risk becoming so-called “home sitters”.
— The immediate risks are that you will not pass school, and that you will be separated from your friends. You develop a lack of trust that there is help to be had and lose confidence that adults can help you, says Anna Lundh.
Parents on sick leave
In the longer term, interruptions in children’s development and affected everyday functioning can lead to an increased risk of psychiatric morbidity and addiction, explains Anna Lundh.
“If you have symptoms that make you unable to function and get stuck in a care queue, it is a risk for all children and young people who end up there,” says Anna Lundh.
Often the whole family is affected by the child suffering from mental illness and not getting help.
— The family has great suffering and parents may be on sick leave. There will be major interventions in the lives of families, says Anna Lundh.
Anna Lundh, senior physician at the bup Fou center and doctor of medicine in child psychiatry at the Karolinska Institutet.