Children as young as seven have suicidal thoughts
Over 120 children are on a waiting list to be treated for mental problems at BUGL. Mbl.is/ Eggert Jóhannsson
In Iceland, 15- 20 percent of children have mental problems and 5 percent need specialist help according to Guðrún Bryndís Guðmundsdóttir, head of the mental hospital department for children and adolescents, BUGL. These figures are international and most likely correspond to Iceland says Guðmundsdóttir in a Morgunblaðið report today.
Currrently there are 771 children and teenagers aged 4 to 17 at BUGL undergoing treatament.
Around 120 children are on a waiting list to be treated at BUGL and Guðmundsdóttir says that this can have serious consequences.
Emergency cases include depression and suicidal thoughts, self-harm and suspicion of possible schizophrenia. "When a child tells someone that they don't want to live anymore we always have to investigate what lies behind the statement. Is it a cry for help, a call for attention, or does the child actually want to die?" Although most cases for suicidal tendencies are with teenagers, Guðmundsdóttir has seen children as young as seven with suicidal thoughts. She adds that cuts to this area in healthcare are dangerous and that children should not have to wait for this kind of service. "Mental issues can have a negative impact on everything in a child's development and a child relationship to its surroundings. This impact can damage the future of a child."
