Denmark Swept by Wave of Suicide Attempts Among Children

DepressionAccording to recent statistics, four Danish children try to commit suicide every day — a grim detail on the shining image of the country that ranks among the world’s happiest.An overview of suicide attempts among children and juveniles until the age of 14 compiled by the Danish Health Data Agency has sparked a national debate about children’s mental health as it turned out that suicide attempts in the said age group have become more frequent.While in 2020, boys in the age group attempted suicide 111 times, that number rose to 187 in 2021. Among girls, the situation is way bleaker. In 2020, they attempted suicide 724 times. Last year, the number rose to 1,267.Put it otherwise, four Danish children try to commit suicide every day.Denmark’s leading children’s rights organization Borns Vilkar (“Children’s life”), which, among others, operates a hotline and an online counselling service for young people, reported that the share of those calling in with suicidal thoughts increases each year.The organization also noticed that the mental issues that previously plagued adolescents in the 14-16 age bracket now moved down to 10-12-year-olds. According to the organization’s leader Rasmus Kjeldahl, there is also an increase in the number of children with diagnoses, and for them, even going to school can be a big challenge unless they are adequately taken care of.Christian Lund of the psychologic help organization Headspace cited dissatisfaction at school, feeling like an outsider, and conflicts with friends and family as the main underlying issues. Kjeldahl also cited loneliness is a recurrent motif, exacerbated by peer pressure, bullying and stress from on social media.“When children reach the age of ten, a sense of community with other children becomes incredibly important, and the parents matter a little less. They cannot really compensate for it if they feel alone, are bullied, or are exposed to something on social media”, Kjeldahl told the Danish media.Approximately one in three people who contacted suicide help line in 2020 expressed problems with loneliness, a figure that remains persistent across all age groups.WorldFinnish Mental Health Groups Warn of Spike in Climate Anxiety Among Children, Youths5 September, 06:10 GMTDespite the fact that Nordic countries consistently rank on top of various world happiness indexes for happiness and well-being, they are also known ranking above the global average in suicide, depression, mental health and alcohol abuse, which has been a perennial criticism of such ratings. In Finland the suicide rate was so high at some point that the country implemented the world’s first suicide prevention strategy. While it is true that in recent decades all the Nordic countries have reduced their rates significantly, the problem remains, somewhat tarnishing their otherwise-happy image.

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