Charitable foundations donate 180 million kroner to improve youth psychiatry in Northern Jutland

Children and adolescents facing mental health challenges should not have to wait for years for psychiatric assessments. Currently, wait times in the Region of Northern Jutland are among the longest in the country, prompting two charitable foundations to collectively donate 180 million Danish kroner to youth psychiatry in the region.

Jan Mainz, the psychiatry director of Northern Jutland, will spearhead the initiative. He describes the substantial donation as groundbreaking and hopes it will elevate the standards of child and adolescent psychiatry to an internationally respected level, similar to the advancements seen in cancer treatment over the past decade.

The funds will primarily be allocated to research and development aimed at providing quicker, more effective support for young people in distress. Over the next five years, the municipalities of Aalborg, Hjørring, Mariagerfjord, and Thisted will share the investment. The donations include 150 million kroner from the Novo Nordisk Foundation and 30 million kroner from the Obel Family Foundation.

The initiative intends to enhance collaboration among the region and municipalities, ensure faster diagnoses for children, and involve families in the treatment process more effectively. With the number of children and adolescents receiving diagnoses reaching 15% before they turn 18, urgent action is needed.

The timing of the donation aligns with a recent political action plan for psychiatry. According to Flemming Konradsen, head of the social and humanitarian area at Novo Nordisk Foundation, the donation is timely as it highlights the sector’s need for significant improvement due to long wait times and fragmented treatment processes.

Mainz emphasizes the importance of addressing mental health openly and effectively, given its status as one of the leading public health issues.