Many suicide attempts – psychiatrist demands: finally help the children!

The mental health of many children is deteriorating, politicians must take action. “There is a lack of financial and human resources and much more prevention work is needed: we need prevention in schools, prevention of bullying and prevention of suicide. What’s important here are low-threshold offerings like programs in schools,” Plener asks.

Politicians need more money
Studies would show that with a suicide prevention program in schools, suicide attempts could be halved within a year. But that requires more money, and the interface between the health system and the school system needs to be better networked. Plener confirms the findings of education expert Andreas Salcher last Saturday in the “Krone”, according to which significantly more school psychologists are needed. “We urgently need more school psychologists and school social workers. We have far too few. They can be an important link to psychotherapy and psychiatry,” explains Plener. And he warns that there is “a money and staffing problem” in child and adolescent psychiatry.

The Vienna General Hospital child psychiatry has 30 inpatient places, eight day clinics and two home treatment teams, each of which cares for five families. According to Plener, the burden is persistently high. However, corona is no longer the dominant topic. Children and young people are psychologically burdened by the many crises of our time, such as climate change, war and the growing gap between rich and poor. “The feeling that I will be better off than my parents has been lost on young people today.” In mental health, as in physical health in general, poverty is a greater risk. “But it runs through all walks of life.”