44% of young people (between 16 and 25 years old) are unhappy with their life. This leads to bad sleep, anxiety issues, no hope for the future, depression, and sudden breakdowns. The parties have proposed the following solutions:
- Socialdemokratiet, Venstre, Konservative, and Frie Grønne want to build an accessible service in the municipalities that can help young people cope with their situation.
- SF, Radikale Venstre, Enhedslisten, and Alternativet want to have fewer students in primary school classes, shorter school days, more hours with 2 teachers in class and less focus on performance.
- DF wants to focus on upskilling school teachers, pedagogues, school health nurses, and psychologists to better deal with the current situation of young people.
- Nye Borgerlige wants to introduce one psychologist in every school.
If you are young and need help tackling mental health challenges, you can contact the following organizations free of charge: Headspace, Ventilen, Student Counseling, Psychiatry Fonden and The Children’s Telephone (116111).
Why are young people unhappy?
- Acceleration – Everything has to go faster and faster. You have to finish your education earlier and figure out what you want to do in life at a younger age.
- Performance – Too much focus on performing (good grades on tests) forces young people to ask too much of themselves.
- Psychologization – Young people today do a lot of self-monitoring, self-criticism and self-discipline.
