Finland's public healthcare providers have seen a steady increase in young people seeking mental health care services over the past three years.
"We are seeing growth among children and young people of all ages," said Outi Linnaranta, chief physician at the Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
Public health providers served around 175,000 people aged between 7 and 22 with a total of 1.5 million mental health related consultation or treatment visits in 2023. Compared to three years before that, there was a 20 percent increase in visits and a 44 percent growth in the number of young clients.
One reason behind the development was an effort made to offer young people mental health services at a lower threshold, according to Linnanranta. At the same time people appear to be less hesitant to seek such services when they think they might need it, she explained.
Most of the mental health help provided began at visits to primary care services. At the same time, the number of visits to specialised psychiatric care decreased slightly over the past three years.
"We also need to ensure that we offer genuinely adequate care when symptoms are more serious and require treatment," Linnanranta noted.
She also said that much more attention needs to be paid to treating young people with substance abuse issues and behavioural disorders.
New guarantee
Finland will see a so-called mental health guarantee go into effect on 1 May, legislation aimed at making it easier for young people to get access to mental health care services. The guarantee states that everyone under the age of 23 diagnosed with a mental health issue must start receiving treatment within 28 days after the diagnosis. It also stipulates that those services will be free of charge.
"We want to offer effective treatment quickly, at a very low threshold," Linnanranta said.
The types of care on offer include a series of short-term psychotherapy sessions or social and health care services interventions, according to Linnaranta.
However, according to THL, a number of financially struggling wellbeing counties find that fulfilling the therapy guarantee to be challenging. However, the counties have received separate funding for such efforts.
"The therapy guarantee is a very clear political message that this issue is important. There is a will to invest in the mental health of children and young people, even in times of austerity," Linnanranta said.
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