The mental state of children and young people in Poland is not good. There is a shortage of specialists and psychiatrists, and the waiting time to see a doctor at the National Health Service can be up to 2,000 days. A new report by the GrowSPACE foundation indicates an even more dire situation.

Barbara Nowacka had met with representatives of the GrowSPACE Foundation. The meeting was held to discuss the alarming report on suicidal crises in children and young people that the foundation published. The Ministry of Science was also represented at the meeting by Paulina Piechna-Więckiewicz, Deputy Minister and Mental Health Plenipotentiary of the Ministry of Education, and Deputy Minister of State Izabela Ziętka.

The GrowSPACE Foundation has published a report based on data obtained from Provincial Police Headquarters. The report highlights the alarming increase in suicidal crises among children and young people in Poland. To obtain the data, the foundation’s staff submitted public information requests to the Police in early 2024. GrowSPACE stresses that the report "represents only a slice of the overall picture of mental health of children and young people in Poland", as "not every suicide attempt is recorded by the police".

"The mental health of schoolchildren is our ministry's priority. We need to find the best solutions to aid students with their problems effectively," said Barbara Nowacka.

Deputy Minister Ziętek added, "We will strive to provide teachers with the knowledge and tools to recognise the needs of students in crisis."

If you feel you need to talk to professionals, there are helplines you can use:

• Support Centre for people in mental health crisis - 800 70 22 22,
• Helpline for children and young people - 116 111,
• Crisis helpline for adults - 116 123,
• Helpline for older people - 22 635 09 54,
• Helpline for children, young people, parents and educators - 800 080 222,
• Blue Line - 800 120 002,
• National Helpline for people with drug problems - 801 199 990.

Source: radiozet.pl