Social Affairs and Public Health Minister Jakob Forssmed recently visited Karolinska Institutet to attend an international seminar on adolescent mental health and wellbeing arranged to mark the launch of "A call to action for adolescents mental health and wellbeing", the second report from the Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing.
The seminar, which was held in the Nobel Forum, gathered participants from around the world, including researchers, policymakers, youth representatives and leaders from organisations such as the WHO, UNICEF and the Gates Foundation.
KI president Annika Östman Wernerson held the opening address, stressing the value of intersectoral collaboration in tackling the growing challenges to the health of young people.
"It takes a village to raise a child but also a village to save a child. And I'm proud to say that KI is part of this village", she said.
The President highlighted two urgent priorities from the Lancet Commission's report: the rising rates of adolescent obesity and the increasing burden of mental disorders and suicide.
"If we don't act differently, more young people will be overweight and obese, and more healthy years will be lost due to mental disorders. We need to do more and we need to do it differently."
"Demands a massive societal response"
Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health Jakob Forssmed delivered a powerful and heartfelt address on the deep sense of loneliness that many young people feel. Quoting author Sara Lidman: "A skerry of togetherness in a sea of loneliness", he posed the rhetorical question of how society can give adolescents something to cling on to.
"Mental health is not just an individual problem - it's a societal problem. And it demands a massive societal response," he said.
He then went on to present the government's 10-year strategy for mental health and suicide prevention, which brings together 20 government agencies, including those not traditionally associated with health, such as the Transport Administration.
KI Vice President Martin Bergö stressed the importance of working with young people, not just for them.
"We need to change the way we work together and adopt a more youth-centred approach," he said.
The seminar commended the active part played by young people in the drafting of the report, for which ten youth commissioners were invited to bring their expertise and perspectives.
A life altering transformation
Aparajita Ramakrishnan, director of family planning at the Gates Foundation, joined Olivia Wigzell (Public Health Agency of Sweden), Pernilla Baralt (UNICEF Sweden) and the youth commissioner from KI and other international organisations for a panel discussion.
"Adolescent health and wellbeing isn't just about a transition in terms of a time frame, it's a transformation. That period, with its accumulation of events, is life-altering," she said.
She particularly emphasised the urgency of investing in sexual and reproductive health and rights, praising Sweden for helping to set a global standard.
The President gave special thanks to industrialist Carl Bennet for funding research and the seminar.
"Without Carl Bennet's engagement, all this important work that's being done would not be possible," she said.
The seminar marked a clear step forward in implementing the recommendations of the report, and many of the speakers urged that it was necessary to keep building on the momentum of the report.
Going forward, efforts will focus on strengthening collaborations, evaluating projects and bolstering the participation of young people in research and policy development, both nationally and internationally.
