Over the past decade, the number of calls to the Swedish Poisons Information Center (Giftinformationscentralen) about young people deliberately poisoning themselves has almost tripled – and the most commonly used drug in suicide attempts is the painkiller paracetamol.
– Paracetamol is by far the most commonly used drug in suicide and self-harm, confirms Shahabeh Shokrolahi, a call-taker at the Swedish Poisons Information Center.
It’s not that paracetamol is necessarily more toxic than many other medicines – it’s that it’s something that most families have in their homes, and it’s often kept in an easily accessible place.
– It is not paracetamol that is the problem, but the well-being of young people.If it hadn’t been paracetamol, it would surely have been something else, she argues in the state television SVT.
It should be noted that there has long been an awareness that Alvedon, Panodil and the like have often been used in suicide attempts and that several changes have therefore been introduced to make it more difficult for minors to obtain the drugs.
For example, the sale of paracetamol tablets in supermarkets was banned and young people were only allowed to buy one pack at a time – yet poisonings have only increased.
“Could have been worse”
– If we hadn’t taken these measures, it could have been worse.We don’t know and we’ll never know, but it could have been that there would have been even more calls, speculates Shokrolahi.
Last year, the Swedish Poisons Information Center received almost 7,000 calls about self-harm and suicide attempts – compared to 2,500 ten years earlier.
There is no clear answer as to why more and more young people are choosing to harm themselves in this way – but it is noted that nine out of ten people surveyed keep painkillers in unlocked and easily accessible areas.
– Even if you don’t suspect that your teenager would resort to drugs in a crisis situation, your teenager’s friends or relatives might.That’s why it’s important that all medicines are locked up and the home is teen-proofed, concludes Shokrolahi.
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An increasing number of home care recipients over 65 have alcohol problems, according to a new report from Sweden’s National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen). The trend is causing concern among staff who are raising alarms about increased risks and problems linked to substance abuse.
In Sweden, alcohol consumption has decreased over the past 20 years across all age groups, except for people over 65 who are instead drinking more. The problem is particularly evident in home care services, where alcohol abuse among people in this age group has increased by 73 percent over the past ten years.
– This only applies to people who have been identified through specialized healthcare, which means it’s likely an underestimate and suggests there could also be a significant number of unreported cases, says Isabella Björling, investigator at the National Board of Health and Welfare, in a press release.
Home care staff are also raising alarms about increased substance abuse and the problems that arise. Among other things, the risk of fall injuries increases while there is generally a greater need for care for a person with substance abuse. It also creates a more unpredictable work situation for staff.
– It’s quite common that we have to come in when the situation has become dire. Many times they have been hospitalized, says nursing assistant and safety representative Sofia Andersson to Sweden’s public radio SR.
Difficult to do anything about
The National Board of Health and Welfare believes that competence development is needed within home care services, but also that new working methods need to be developed to handle the growing group of elderly substance abusers.
There is also a need for increased collaboration between healthcare providers as both care needs and the work environment are affected by substance abuse problems.
Despite home care staff seeing the risks, it’s difficult to do anything about substance abuse, according to Andersson.
– We have to, quite bluntly, order alcohol for them. Of course we go in and try to talk about the situation, but if they want us to shop for them, that’s their right, she says.
Montage. Photo: Instagram, Photo: Magnus Liljegren/Government Offices of Sweden
The report, which concerns suspicions of human trafficking and serious document forgery, has been submitted by criminologist and former criminal investigator Jenny Rogneby.
The Swedish Prime Minister is accused of human trafficking and aggravated document forgery linked to his previous role as chairman of Adoptionscentrum (Swedish adoption agency). Jenny Rogneby, who is herself adopted from Ethiopia, has filed the report and argues that extensive misconduct has been overlooked for decades.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of the Moderate Party has been reported to police for his involvement in Sweden’s international adoption operations. The report, which includes suspicions of human trafficking and aggravated document forgery, has been filed by criminologist and former criminal investigator Jenny Rogneby.
Rogneby, who is herself adopted from Ethiopia, points to Kristersson’s role as chairman of Adoptionscentrum between 2003 and 2005. During this period, the number of adoptions from China doubled, while warning signals about misconduct had already begun to emerge.
— This is about child trafficking, forgeries, official misconduct and other serious crimes where many have been affected – but where no one has yet been held accountable, Jenny Rogneby tells Dagens ETC.
Several actors reported to police
The police report targets multiple actors within the adoption sector, not only the Prime Minister. Among those reported are Adoptionscentrum’s management, the Swedish Authority for Family Law and Parental Support (MFoF), the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and private adoption agencies.
The background to the report is the state adoption commission’s investigation, which showed that Swedish actors had knowledge of serious misconduct within adoption operations for several decades. Despite this, the operations were allowed to continue without intervention, according to Rogneby.
Serious allegations of child trafficking
In an Instagram post, Rogneby describes the scope of the alleged misconduct: “Children have been declared dead despite being alive, kidnapped, registered as abandoned and sold – and subsequently adopted to Sweden under false premises.”
She claims that the state investigation contains extensive documentation showing how false documents were used, how consent was lacking or obtained under misleading circumstances, and that financial incentives played a decisive role in adoption processes in several cases.
“These are very serious circumstances that, in my assessment, should be examined legally,” she writes to Dagens ETC.
The adoption commission’s report has previously led Sweden to halt international adoptions from several countries and tighten control of adoption operations.
A wave of well-planned home burglaries has swept across southern Sweden during July. Swedish police suspect that organized gangs are behind the crimes and are now urging the public to increase vigilance.
During July, Sweden has been hit by an unusually extensive wave of home burglaries with between 45 and 50 reported cases. The crimes are spread across the West, South and East police regions, and most of the break-ins have been carried out in a similar manner, leading police to suspect that an organized gang is behind them.
The perpetrators have often gained entry by lifting out entire window frames. They have then hung up sheets indoors to conceal their presence, sorted stolen goods on beds and focused on taking jewelry and cash.
Break-ins where windows are lifted out is a well-known method, which often occurs in residential villa areas. Similar shoe prints left at multiple locations strengthen suspicions that the same group may be behind a large number of the crimes.
Polisen uppmanar till vaksamhet efter stort antal villainbrott: Under juli månad har närmare 50 villainbrott utförts i polisregionerna Väst, Syd och Öst. I de flesta fallen h https://t.co/hCSSOcTMLY
— Polisen nationellt (@Polisen_Sverige) July 30, 2025
Professional gangs
Swedish police assess that these are professional perpetrators with good knowledge of alarms and locking devices. At least two people have likely participated in each break-in. In some cases, the properties have been surveilled in advance, indicating that the crimes were carefully planned.
– These are professional and organized gangs behind these crimes. We believe that at least two perpetrators were involved in each break-in. And in some cases we suspect they visited the locations and conducted surveillance some time before the actual break-in, says Lina Carlshamre, crime analyst at the crime coordination unit in the West police region, in a press release.
In response to this development, Swedish police have strengthened cooperation between the affected regions. The authorities are now urging villa owners to be extra vigilant – especially during vacation periods when many homes stand empty.
They emphasize the importance of maintaining contact with neighbors and reporting suspicious behavior. According to crime analysts, the motto is: better once too often than once too little.
Despite the fact that the number of residential burglaries has decreased somewhat in the country in recent years, July’s statistics show that the threat to villa owners remains.
An anesthesiologist with 20 years of experience told US senators how he developed a life-threatening lung disease after covid-19 vaccination. Dr. Robert Sullivan was one of the witnesses in a Senate hearing on vaccine injuries held by the Senate Homeland Security Committee.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee organized a hearing on July 15 titled “Voices of the Vaccine Injured” where people who claim to have been injured by covid-19 vaccines were able to share their experiences. Dr. Robert Sullivan, a licensed physician and certified anesthesiologist with over 20 years of active practice in Maryland, was one of the key witnesses.
Dr. Sullivan described a dramatic change in his health condition after vaccination. The same month he received his first mRNA dose, he had been featured in the Wall Street Journal’s fitness column for his aerial circus performances.
— I was strong, healthy, and thriving. Just three weeks after my second dose, I couldn’t go up a flight of stairs without gasping for air, Sullivan told the senators.
The doctor developed constant chest pain, heart arrhythmias and overwhelming fatigue. An echocardiogram later confirmed damage to his heart and lungs.
— The diagnosis was pulmonary hypertension. I had damage and narrowing of the blood vessels in my lungs, restricting blood flow and straining the heart. This isn’t like regular high blood pressure. Pulmonary hypertension is usually progressive and fatal even with treatment. There is no cure, Sullivan explained.
The system didn’t respond
Dr. Sullivan reported his injury to VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System), the US system for reporting vaccine adverse events. Despite VAERS collecting his medical records, he never heard from the US health authorities FDA or CDC.
— I believed in the system. I believed I would be heard. When I wasn’t, I channeled that disbelief into collaborating with the British Medical Journal on a report about the system’s failures. What I learned is chilling. If you are harmed, you are on your own., Sullivan said.
He explained that most doctors he knows have never heard of VAERS, and even fewer understand that there are mandatory reporting requirements. Sullivan was never taught about VAERS during his medical education and stated that it still isn’t taught.
Research predicted the problems
During his own research, Dr. Sullivan discovered that a scientist from Georgetown University had predicted exactly his type of injury in the same month the vaccines began rolling out.
— He warned that spike protein, exposure, whether from the virus or from the shot, could harm the blood vessels in the lungs and placenta, Sullivan recounted.
The doctor referenced studies showing that spike protein from the SARS-1 virus also caused vascular damage in animals, and that many hospitalized covid patients develop pulmonary hypertension.
Broad vaccination perspective despite personal injury
When Senator Johnson asked about doctors’ attitudes toward vaccines, Dr. Sullivan surprised by explaining that he is still “enthusiastic about vaccination” and that he sees covid injections as something entirely different.
— I’m not vaccine injured. I’m injured by an mRNA therapeutic. I was very careful in my testimony to use the word shot, Sullivan clarified.
He explained that training for vaccines is now limited to memorizing the schedule, but that the hidden cost of injuries is not studied or taught.
Spike protein toxicity
Senator Johnson raised the question of spike protein toxicity and criticized that many symptoms are now attributed to “long covid” instead of potential vaccine side effects.
— There are many ways to lose with this new MRI technology. There are problems with the nanoparticle. There is a separate set of problems with synthetic mRNA. It persists in some people 700 days and counting now, Dr. Sullivan responded.
He explained that when the body is instructed to manufacture a protein that is presented on the cell surface, it creates a precondition for autoimmune disorders, and that the spike protein itself is biologically active.
— It was published in December 2020, although not widely known, that that was causing damage to placenta and to lung, Sullivan added.
Dr. Sullivan concluded his testimony with an appeal for recognition and transparent information for patients, emphasizing the importance of truly informed consent in all medical treatment.