The regions in Sweden are getting worse and worse at living up to the care guarantee for children and teenagers who apply to psychiatry, TV4 Nyheternas’ review shows.
In 2021, there were over 76,000 children and young people who did not receive help in time, according to the care guarantee. And this at the same time as more and more children suffer from mental illness.
8-year-old Valter is in second grade at a school outside Sundsvall. He finds it difficult to sit still in the lessons, his body crawls and he doesn’t know what to do with that feeling, which means that he often can’t keep up with the lessons.
– I have great difficulty concentrating. When I come up with a speech in math, for example, and it becomes talkative in class, it becomes difficult. Then I have to start all over again, says Valter Krosse.
Don’t risk passing school
The school has now flagged that Valter is at risk of not passing the knowledge requirements. His parents say that their son’s frustration often leads to conflicts at home, which is difficult for the whole family.
The family has long suspected that Valter has ADHD. For over a year and a half, they have fought for him to get help at Bup at Sundsvall’s hospital – but without a response.
According to the assessment made by Bup in Sundsvall, Valter does not feel bad enough for him to be entitled to an assessment interview.
– I think it is unimaginable that they can make that assessment without even having met Valter. His voice is not even heard here, says Valter’s father Hannes Krosse.
New figures from Sweden’s municipalities and regions show that many regions do not meet the care guarantee when it comes to helping children with mental illness. Less than half, around 46 percent, of all children and young people who sought care within, Bup, in 2022 received a first visit within 30 days.