On behalf of the Chamber of Labor of Upper Austria, the SORA Institute of Social Research and Consulting surveyed 1,212 Upper Austrians aged 16 and over in March by telephone and online. There was a massive slump in mental health, especially among the under-25s in education, reports Sora. In addition to the high number of people with suicidal thoughts on at least a few days, the fact that around 70 percent of the boys suffer from hopelessness, uncontrollable worries and loneliness is worrying. Just as many are worried about their future, they are afraid of having lost touch with life in the long term. More than half reported serious conflicts at home.
Democracy alarm signal
Nine out of ten young people did not see their needs sufficiently taken into account in the Covid measures, the Chamber of Labor interprets the Sora results. In terms of democracy, this is an alarm signal. More than half reported a need for support related to work and education, and 41 percent related to their mental health.
Almost 30,000 young people need support
With a view to mental health, there are currently 29,500 young people in Upper Austria who have a very or rather great need for support and help. Approximately 39 percent would have needed psychosocial help, but did not take advantage of it or were unable to do so – primarily because of a lack of information or because the costs were too high. In total, a total of 72,500 people seeking help in Upper Austria cannot afford the available psychosocial support, according to the Chamber of Labor (AK) in a press release.
The AK criticizes that there were supply bottlenecks even before the outbreak of the pandemic, which became significantly worse during the Covid crisis due to the sharp increase in the number of people affected. A report by Statistics Austria on “Inpatient mental acute care in Austria” clearly showed in 2019 that the need for hospital beds in psychiatric wards across Austria has significantly exceeded the actual supply.
Soul in need: Crisis Aid Upper Austria offers around the clock
Advice and help in mental crises and is available by phone (0732
2177) as available online.
Source: Nachrichten
