High Prevalence of Mental Disorders Among Children and Adolescents in Austria

Experts' Demands

"Wir müssen von einer Behandlungspflichtigkeit bei etwa 15 Prozent dieser Kinder und Jugendlichen ausgehen," Psota emphasized. Roughly half of the disease dynamics in the area of psychiatric illnesses are already evident by age 14. Without vigorous countermeasures, dramatic impacts on society are looming. Psota summed up the situation: "Wie soll sich das mit der Versorgung ausgehen?" the psychiatrist said.

Markus Wieser, chairman of the support association for child and adolescent rehabilitation and president of the Lower Austrian Chamber of Labour, spoke out strictly in favor of establishing child and adolescent health across all institutions and levels of care. "Es ist einerseits sehr traurig, andererseits sehr gut, dass viele Veränderungen im Gesundheitswesen mit Initiativen entstanden sind," said Wieser. "Wir brauchen in der Kinder- und Jugendgesundheit jetzt Programme statt Einzelinitiativen."

Wieser also reported how he and his family had been confronted years ago with an acute hematological illness of their daughter, which was able to be cured. With a view to the care situation, he formulated an English proverb: "Das Kind ist der 'Vater' des späteren Menschen". His demand: "Ein Gesunder als Begleiter hilft, dass der Kranke gesund wird," said Wieser.

Demographic Change as a Risk

Wieser described Austria's care structure as deficient. "Wir haben in Österreich eine miserable Ausstattung, was die peripartale (rund um die Geburt; Anm.) psychiatrische Versorgung betrifft," he criticized. Currently there are only six inpatient facilities covering Austria as a whole. "Wir haben jetzt sechs stationäre Einrichtungen flächendeckend in Österreich," Wieser continued. With around 70,000 newborns per year, that is too few.

Psota emphasized that children are not small adults. "Kinder sind keine kleinen Erwachsenen," he said. They need their own structures and care services. More solid data on mental health and a response to the demographic shift already underway are also necessary.

Demographic development further exacerbates the problem. "In meiner Babyboomer-Generation waren es 130.000 Neugeborene pro Jahr," Wieser recalled. Today, including all migration, there are around 70,000. "Die jetzigen Kinder und die Zahl der Kinder derzeit sind die Erwachsenen und die Zahl der Erwachsenen in 20 Jahren," Wieser warned. It is therefore dramatically high time to dedicate the greatest energy and all available resources in Austria to mental health in childhood and adolescence.

Another aspect is the demographic challenge posed by the aging of society. "Wir werden im Jahr 2040 eine Viertelmillion Demenzkranke im Land haben," Wieser predicted. In Europe, the ratio stood at 70 working people per dementia patient in the year 2000; for 2050, only 21 working people are forecast. "Da sind am häufigsten Angststörungen, ADHS, Depressionen und Substanzmissbrauch," Psota had previously added, it will come down to every single healthy person.

As concrete measures, the experts called for an expansion of resources in psychiatry with an additional focus on child and adolescent psychiatry, as well as pushing back "antisocial media" in the digital world at least during the particularly vulnerable period of childhood and early adolescence. Care should ideally begin with pregnant women, Psota demanded.