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Friday, June 20, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/sick-leave-due-to-mental-health-problems-on-the-rise-in-finland/

Finland

Sick leave due to mental health problems on the rise in Finland

Published 1 September 2024
– By Editorial Staff
According to the researchers "the true cost of lost workdays is likely to be even higher than our estimate".
1 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

According to the Finnish Social Insurance Institution (Kela), six million working days were lost last year due to mental health problems. These absences cost society more than €1 billion a year.

Mental illness currently accounts for more than one in three days of sick leave paid by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela) in Finland. The annual cost of lost work effort exceeds one billion euros, which is an increase of almost half a billion euros compared to ten years ago.

– The true cost of lost workdays is likely to be even higher than our estimate, Mikko Rissanen, senior specialist at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, told Finnish national broadcaster Yle.

In 2023, almost six million working days will be lost due to mental health problems, which is the equivalent of 26,000 full-time employees being absent from work for a whole year. This is an increase of two million working days compared to a decade ago.

If short periods of sickness, which are shorter than the qualifying period for sickness compensation, are also taken into account, the total number of working days lost could exceed seven million, according to Kela.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/rapid-increase-in-antidepressants-and-adhd-medicines-in-finland/

Finland

Rapid increase in antidepressants and ADHD medicines in Finland

Published 10 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
One fifth of Finnish women under 30 are currently taking antidepressants.
1 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The use of antidepressants has increased sharply in Finland over the past decade, compared to the other Nordic countries. Prescription of ADHD medication for children has also increased significantly.

One fifth of women aged 18-29 use antidepressants, according to a survey by the Finnish Social Insurance Institution (Kela). Among men of the same age, the figure is eight percent. The figures are double those of 2014.

– According to studies, mood and anxiety disorders have become more common, especially among young girls and women. The diagnoses of depression, anxiety disorders and sleep disorders are also increasingly visible in the health care records of young women, says Miika Vuori, Senior Researcher at Kela, in a press release.

Furthermore, adhd medication for children has also increased in the country. Last year, 11% of boys and 4% of girls aged 7-12 were prescribed medication for ADHD. When comparing Swedish and Finnish boys aged 5-9, 6% of Finnish boys used ADHD medication last year, while the corresponding proportion in Sweden was just over 2%. The use of antidepressants among young people has also increased faster in Finland than in the other Nordic countries over the past ten years.

– The increase in the use of these two drugs has been strong in Finland, not only in comparison with Sweden but also with Norway and Denmark, says Vuori.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/health/social-media-feeds-young-people-junk-food-ads/

Health

Social media feeds young people junk food ads

Published 10 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
A large majority of food advertisements that young people are exposed to promote unhealthy products such as fast food, snacks or sugar-sweetened drinks.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The majority of food advertising that young people encounter on social media promotes unhealthy products. This is according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet, where TikTok is identified as the platform with the highest exposure.

The survey is based on data from young people aged 13-16 who, over the course of a week, documented the advertising they saw in their social media feeds. They were given a choice of platform, with most choosing Tiktok or Instagram.

One third of all the ads young people were exposed to were for food or drink – and 70% of these were for unhealthy products such as fast food, snacks or sugar-sweetened drinks.

Exposure was highest on Tiktok, where participants could encounter up to 26 food-related ads per hour. On Instagram, the average was 13.

– In focus group interviews, participants said they were often tempted to make impulse purchases by the design of the ads. At the same time, several expressed a feeling of powerlessness in the face of the amount of advertising they encounter daily, said Sofia Spolander, researcher at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge in a press release.

Childhood obesity doubled

In the focus group, the young people also described how the advertising affected them and increased their cravings for unhealthy food, and that it was difficult to resist consumption.

Overweight among Swedish children aged 11–15 has more than doubled in the past 30 years, and obesity in this age group has quadrupled, according to the study. Young people are eating more unhealthy food than before, while consuming fewer fruits and vegetables. Unhealthy eating habits are one of the leading causes of poor health and premature death in Sweden.

– The food environment influences our eating habits, and marketing is an important part of that environment. This study shows that the advertising young people encounter on social media goes against the dietary guidelines, says Spolander.

The study forms the basis of a new report from UNICEF Sweden and the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, which highlights how advertising for food and drink in social media affects the health of children and young people.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/finnish-youth-evicted-at-record-pace/

Finland

Finnish youth evicted at record pace

Published 3 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The number of evictions due to unpaid housing costs has increased fivefold in just three years.
1 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

A growing number of young Finns are being evicted from their rental properties due to unpaid rent. Lack of personal finance skills is cited as one of the main reasons.

Debt problems have increased significantly among Finns, with the number of payment reminders increasing tenfold since 2021. During the same period, the number of collections related to unpaid housing costs has increased twentyfold.

At the same time, the number of evictions is increasing – in 2024, 10% of collections for unpaid housing costs have led to eviction, compared to only 2% three years ago.

The problem exists across all age groups, but is particularly pronounced among young adults. It is highest among people under 25, and so far this year, as many young people have run into problems with rent arrears as in the whole of 2023.

“Everything has gone digital”

At Finnish debt collection company Intrum, the impression is that young people do not learn to manage their finances as they grow up and that an unpaid bill is often a matter of forgetfulness.

– They don’t necessarily understand the consequences of not paying a bill, said Reetta Lehessaari, Head of Debt Collection Services, to the Finnish state broadcaster Yle, and continued:

– Apparently, people no longer learn to pay bills at home in the same way as before. Everything has gone digital. Young people no longer see bills being paid in concrete terms.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/health/young-dog-owners-lifestyles-negatively-affect-their-dogs/

Health

Young dog owners’ lifestyles negatively affect their dogs

Published 3 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Today, many people get a pet to fit into their passive lifestyle - rather than adapting to the animal's needs themselves.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Stressed and overweight dog owners feel their lifestyle also impacts their dogs, according to a new Novus survey commissioned by Arken Zoo’s veterinary services. The effect is especially noticeable among younger owners, who report that their own health issues spill over onto their pets.

The survey, conducted between March and April 2025, gathered responses from 1,046 Swedish pet owners aged 18 to 84 about their own and their dog’s well-being. The results reveal a strong link between owner lifestyle and pet health.

Half of pet owners consider themselves overweight, with two in ten not exercising at all. A quarter of dog owners say they walk their dog for an hour a day at most, while 18% say their dog is overweight. Veterinarian Per Bransell says the results are “alarming”, but not surprising.

– Today, many people get an animal to fit into the owner’s lifestyle instead of the owner adapting to the animal. Getting a pet is a commitment every day, not just on weekends and holidays, he said in a press release.

Young adults struggle – so do their dogs

Among pet owners aged 18 to 34, 31% say they walk their dogs no more than an hour a day, and 23% report their pets are overweight.

Young owners also experience higher levels of stress: 42% see themselves as stressed, and 24% believe that stress affects their dogs. Staff at Hundstallet, a dog shelter that rehomes animals, say the survey aligns with what they see every day.

– People are increasingly unwell, and it has a direct impact on animals. We see a clear rise in dogs arriving in both poor physical and mental condition — often depressed, lacking proper veterinary care or stimulation, says Johnny Kroneld, Head of Communications & Fundraising at Hundstallet.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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