Ombudsman: Children And Youth in Poland Wait Months for Psychological Help
The number of suicides and suicide attempts among children and youth is rising – alerts the Ombudsman, Dr. Marcin Wiącek. In his assessment, psychiatric care for the youngest patients has collapsed. Police statistics show that in 2023 alone, more than 2,100 individuals between the ages of seven and 18 attempted to take their own lives across the country.
"We are witnessing an increasing number of dramatic situations, suicides, and suicide attempts among children and youth. More and more patients from this group and experts most often use one word to describe Polish psychiatry, especially child and adolescent psychiatry, and that is 'collapse'," Dr. Marcin Wiącek said.
His words are confirmed by statistics published by the National Police Headquarters. In 2023, 85 suicide attempts were recorded among children between 7-12. For the older age group (13–18 years), this rate is much higher. Last year, the police statistics included as many as 2,054 (!) such attempts. For comparison, in 2017, 28 children in the younger age group attempted to take their own lives. In the 13–18 age group, 702 cases were recorded.
(Newseria)
