Mental health services face access issues in Finland and Sweden

Families in Finland and Sweden are reporting significant difficulties in accessing pediatric mental health services and ADHD care.

In Vaasa, Finland, a family seeking an ADHD clinic for a school-aged child found no accessible information or contact details despite claims from the Ostrobothnia Welfare Area that such a clinic exists. A parent reported that even healthcare staff were unable to locate the facility, leaving the family without a clear path for medical support.

In Västerbotten, Sweden, long wait times for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (BUP) continue to impact families. Some children have waited over a year for initial investigations, and the process for diagnosis and medication can take several years. While regional authorities have hired new psychologists using state subsidies to address the backlog, many families report that current resources remain insufficient to provide regular psychological support.