The number of children aged 0-17 who were in compulsory care increased from 207 people in 2011 to 352 people in 2020. This is shown by a review of the National Board of Health and Welfare's statistics by Sweden's Radio Ekot.
The regions send in more reports
As it concerns data from the regions, the increase may reflect the reporting frequency, which makes it difficult to comment on the actual number of patients.
That according to Martin Rödholm, who is project manager at Sweden's Municipalities and Regions, SKR.
- It can be a bit difficult to comment on the levels, but it is probably still a trend that it is increasing, he tells SR.
Overall, however, there are signs that serious mental illness has increased, he states.
Two groups increase
In his work, Martin Rödholm sees that two conditions stand out in the statistics.
It is partly about severe eating disorders - as in Sigrid's case - which is believed to have increased as a result of the isolation during the pandemic, and partly psychotic conditions where many unaccompanied refugee children needed care after a few years in Sweden.