The mental health of children and adolescents in Poland is deteriorating. – “There is a lack of psychologists in Polish schools, often also a lack of sensitivity and support. And if a child does not have this at home, they should have it at school” – says Barbara Nowacka, Minister of Education. – “Statistics show that in Poland, 2% of children aged 6-12 suffer from depression, and as many as 20% in the adolescent group” – says Katarzyna Dubno, a board member of the Adamed Foundation. The concerning data of recent years are influenced by isolation due to the pandemic, the geopolitical situation disrupting the sense of security, and these factors add to the crises at home or at school. The Adamed Foundation has partnered with experts from the service ‘Life is worth a conversation’, resulting in the Supporting School program, aimed at suicide prevention.
Research findings show that the mental health status of children and adolescents in Poland represents a serious problem. The number of mental disorders – such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, or self-harm among students – is steadily increasing, due to factors such as social and educational pressure, cyberbullying, and socio-economic conditions.
“The mental state of Polish youth is very bad. The number of suicides is overwhelming and terrifying, and depression among young people is a real problem and challenge also for the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Health. Together we undertake actions that will help young people even a little. The first thing that has already happened is funding for the children and youth helpline 116 111 from the state budget. The office of the plenipotentiary for the mental health of students has also been established in the Ministry of National Education, headed by Deputy Minister Paulina Piechna-Więckiewicz. On February 28th, the ministry is organizing a large conference on mental health. Together with the Ministry of Health, we also plan real actions to ensure that the mental health of children and adolescents is part of education, including school education,” announces Barbara Nowacka, Minister of National Education.
According to a report by the service ‘Life is worth a conversation’ “Suicidal behaviors among children and youth. Report for the years 2012- 2021”, a year-on-year increase of 77% in suicidal behavior and 19% in suicides was recorded. In 2020, there were approximately 800, a year later – approximately 1,400. The next two years have brought further increases – both in 2022 and in 2023 the number of suicide attempts among the youngest was over 2,000. As experts point out, in each class of 28 students, on average, two students have made such an attempt.
“It is generally known that the mental health of children and adolescents in Poland is deteriorating. Statistics show that 2% of children aged 6-12 suffer from depression, and as many as 20% in the adolescent group. This group was most exposed to isolation related to the pandemic. The current geopolitical situation also does not contribute to a sense of security, and the parallel reality of the virtual world of social media, family crises, or health status amplify the fact that young people are increasingly struggling in everyday life” says Katarzyna Dubno, a board member of the Adamed Foundation, to Newseria Biznes agency.
The problem is that young people don’t really know how to deal with problems and where to seek help. Another issue is that this help is also not universally available to them. According to research conducted by Adamed on the Ariadna Panel in August 2023, 20% of the surveyed parents do not know if there is a school psychologist available at their child’s school. 69% believe that schools in Poland are not properly prepared to help students with psychological problems. In the mentioned study, 86% of respondents stated that greater support for schools and parents in the field of psychological help for children and adolescents is necessary.
“There is a lack of psychologists in Polish schools, often there is also a lack of sensitivity and support. And if a child does not have it at home, they should have this support at school. Therefore, all programs and actions carried out recently in schools by non-governmental organizations, institutions and companies have great value. However, it is the state’s duty to take care of the mental health of children and adolescents. It is not enough to decree a psychologist in school, it must also be ensured that they are there. And we are already working on this” emphasizes Barbara Nowacka.
In response to the challenges related to the deteriorating mental health of students, the Adamed Foundation last year established cooperation with mental health experts operating as part of the ‘Life is worth a conversation’ service. The result of this partnership is the pilot program ‘Supporting School’ – sponsored by the Polish Psychiatric Association and the Polish Suicidology Society. It is aimed at students, parents, and teachers of primary and secondary schools. This is the first such comprehensive project in Poland.
“Its aim is to prevent suicidal behaviors and ensure the mental well-being of children and adolescents in crisis. However, for this purpose, the education of teachers and parents is also necessary so that they know how to support these young people who are struggling with such problems”- says Katarzyna Dubno.
Five primary schools from Warsaw and Pabianice participated in the pilot phase of the Supporting School program, including over 170 representatives of the teaching staff and 150 parents who participated in over 80 hours of training. In addition to the courses conducted by experts in the field of suicidology, the schools also received professional support in creating a crisis procedure and establishing a crisis team at school.
“Crisis procedure in school is very important because – when a crisis arises, a tragedy – everyone should know how to react properly. We need to be aware of what to do to give young people the feeling that there is a responsible adult who knows how to act in such situations. Unfortunately, this varies in schools: in some facilities these procedures are developed, in part they are not at all, and in others, they require improvement or streamlining. Therefore, as part of the Supporting School program, we help to prepare such procedures” says Dr. Halszka Witkowska from the help service ‘Life is worth a conversation’, an expert from the Office for the Prevention of Suicidal Behaviors at the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology in Warsaw. – “Also, we remain in constant contact with all institutions participating in the Supporting School program and we are at their disposal. At any moment, after the participation in the project has ended, the school can contact the service ‘Life is worth a conversation’ and use free consultations.”
The pilot results showed how enormous is the need for such support for schools, prompting the initiators – the Adamed Foundation and the service ‘Life is worth a conversation’ – to continue the program. Currently, enrolment is underway for the new edition of the Supporting School program, which will start in 20 selected institutions at the turn of March and April and will last until the end of this year. In the new edition, parents and teaching staff will participate in interactive training and exercises, and gain access to dedicated educational content.
Institutions that made use of the full package offered as part of the pilot program received a Supporting School certificate. On February 19th, in the presence of representatives of the Ministry of National Education, including Minister Barbara Nowacka, the President of Pabianice, representatives of the Sejm and the Senate, members of the Adamed Foundation and the service ‘Life is worth a conversation’, directors of schools in Pabianice: Primary School No. 16 with Integration Departments named Tadeusz Kosciuszko, II High School named Queen Jadwiga and School Complex No. 2 named Professor Janusz Groszkowski. The ‘Supporting School’ certificate was also awarded to the Social Primary School No. 26 STO named Professor Jigoro Kano in Warsaw.
