I’m lonely, mum

Too many young people in Denmark and in the Nordic Region struggle with psychological challenges. This affects their well-being, can lead to isolation, and ultimately some young people choose to take their own lives. Starting with young people’s real-life stories, we need to discuss why it can go so wrong and what we can do about it.

Every day, ten people in the Nordic Region take their own lives. Meanwhile, psychological distress has been a growing problem for several years, even before COVID-19. The pandemic has intensified this and hit vulnerable young people particularly hard. And now we can see the consequences. Figures from Norway show that there has been an increase in consultation requests in its healthcare system, with children and young people suffering from anxiety and depression. In Finland, suicide rates are high, even though the country is ranked the happiest in the world. And in Denmark, based on the data from Child Helpline (Børnetelefonen) there appears to be an increase in enquiries concerning young people with psychological challenges.

The Nordic Council has adopted a vision to prevent all suicide, and the Nordic Council of Ministers is also focusing on addressing psychological distress among children and young people. We’ll also hear more about this.  

• Rebecca Emilie Baltzer Stidsen, local co-ordinator, Headspace – Det Sociale Netværk 
• Bente Helms, Vice President, SIND 
• Christian Juhl, Presidium member, Nordic Council     
• Rasmus Emborg, President, Nordic Youth Council