Sweden adopts a National Strategy for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
The Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs recently announced the adoption of a National Strategy for Mental health and Suicide prevention[1]. The Strategy aims to provide a long-term direction for efforts to improve mental health and prevent suicide. The strategy seeks to enhance the well-being of individuals experiencing mental illness, as well as their families and friends.
Vision of the Strategy
“A society that promotes good and equal mental health for the entire population, where no one should end up in a situation where suicide is perceived as the only way out”.
A challenge beyond Sweden’s borders
– The challenges related to mental ill health are not unique to Sweden. All over the world, mental ill health and suicide are major public health and social issues with extensive consequences, not only for individuals, but also for their friends and families, as well as society at large, said Camilla Waltersson Grönvall, Sweden’s Minister for Social Services, when the strategy was presented on 10 January this year.
The Strategy was developed in broad collaboration with various stakeholders, including health care regions, municipalities, together with patient and carer organizations. The Swedish Family Care Competence Centre (Nka) together with Carers Sweden played an active role in ensuring that the perspective of informal carers was included.
Alignment with the EU’s Mental Health Agenda
The broader context for Sweden’s national Mental Health Strategy is the European Union’s recent efforts to strengthen mental health policies. The European Commission launched a new strategy[2] in 2023 that emphasizes the importance of a broad approach and cross-sectoral perspectives for improving mental health.
Strengthening support for carers- including young carers
One of the goals of the Swedish Strategy is “Care that meets patients’ and users’ needs”. Here, the Ministry acknowledges that support for informal carers must be strengthened, “Society needs to make sure that family members and friends of individuals who have attempted or committed suicide receive structured and equitable support across the country”.
It also stipulates that special attention should also be given to children who permanently live with a parent or other family member who has attempted suicide or has suddenly died by suicide. Here, the importance of recognizing children as next of kin at an early stage and ensuring that they receive the support they need is emphasized.
Maria Nilsson, director and researcher at Nka, welcomes the Strategy’s explicit focus on young carers, a group often overlooked in policy discussions. However, she stresses that support for informal carers in terms of physical and mental health, work-life balance, social relationships, and financial stability needs to be made more concrete.
Text Josefine Göransson, Maria Nilsson, Elizabeth Hanson, Nka.
[1] Government Offices of Sweden. Det handlar om livet – nationell strategi inom området psykisk hälsa och suicidprevention. Skr 2024/25:77. Retrieved from: https://www.regeringen.se/rattsliga-dokument/skrivelse/2025/01/skr.-20242577
[2] European Commission. A comprehensive approach to mental health. 2023. Retrieved from: https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/comprehensive-approach-mental-health_en.
