Mieli received many 'serious' mental health help calls over the summer
People faced issues like money problems, unemployment fears and a general feeling that help is not available, the organisation says.
Mieli, a crisis support organization in Finland, experienced a surge in serious mental health-related calls during the summer months. The number of people seeking help for financial troubles, unemployment concerns, and feelings of being unsupported by society increased significantly. Mieli's crisis helpline and in-person appointments saw a rise in such calls, with people struggling to afford basic necessities and contemplating self-harm.
The organization's crisis centre barometer survey, conducted in June and July, revealed that three-quarters of professionals handling crisis situations believed the wellbeing of those seeking assistance had worsened in the past year. This concern has grown over the past two years, according to Mieli. The survey, responding to over 100 crisis workers and managers, also found that young individuals expressed fears about the future, while many elderly people felt they were a burden on society rather than a valuable asset.
Additionally, people reported difficulties accessing public services, and concerns extended to the ability of charities to offer help. In the first half of the year, Mieli's crisis helpline received nearly 170,000 calls, with 59,000 answered, resulting in a response rate of 40 percent. Mieli discontinued its English-language telephone crisis help line in March but promised to provide other services in English.
Written by urgent.news from Yle News Finland's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
