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The Nordic Times

Polaris of Enlightenment

The Nordic Times

The Nordic Times

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/survey-reveals-varied-impact-of-mental-health-problems-on-work-performance/

The Nordics

Survey reveals varied impact of mental health problems on work performance

Updated June 19, 2023, Published June 16, 2023 – By Editorial staff
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The new Nordic Health Report 2023, conducted by Kantor Sifo on behalf of the insurance company If, looks at the differences in mental health between Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland.

The survey, in which 4,032 people in the Nordic countries participated, revealed a difference between the countries in how mental health affects their work.

In Denmark, mental health was found to affect work more than in other countries, although Danes are generally less stressed than other Nordic citizens. Sweden is lower than both Denmark and Norway in terms of the impact of mental health on work, but as many as four out of ten Swedes say that mental health has at some point had a negative impact on their ability to work, although less then a fifth of them had raised the issue with their manager. The survey also shows that women in particular suffer from stress, which is more evident in Sweden than in other countries.

In Denmark, 21 percent turn to their managers when they experience mental health problems. In Sweden the figure is 18 percent, in Norway 15 percent and in Finland as little as 9 percent. 37 percent of Swedes turn to health care when they feel mentally unwell, while around 46 percent in Norway and Denmark seek care. In Finland, most people, 61%, seek help when they have mental health problems. Overall, one in four do not seek help at all in the Nordic region.

An interesting detail is that in Finland, higher income appears to be associated with lower levels of mental health problems, a relationship not seen in any of the other countries surveyed.

If's Nordic health strategist Kristina Ström Olsson believes that employers have a responsibility to minimize the risk of mental illness through, among other things, the right procedures and places for support and discussion.

– By having the right procedures in place as an employer and at a managerial level, leaving room for support and discussion, it is possible to prevent mental illness. The employer needs to work systematically with the social and organizational work environment. Then, of course, it is possible to influence some things yourself, by reviewing your life situation both privately and at work, she says.

Of those surveyed, 46% believe that a lack of balance between leisure and working life is the main source of stress.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/report-thousands-of-swedish-gang-criminals-live-on-welfare-benefits/

Sweden

Report: Thousands of Swedish gang criminals live on welfare benefits

organized crime

Published today 2:43 pm – By Editorial staff
According to the latest report from Försäkringskassan, over 4,000 gang criminals are estimated to have been granted benefits totaling approximately €320 million.
3 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

A new report from Försäkringskassan (the Swedish Social Insurance Agency) shows that around 4,000 individuals assessed by police as actively involved in gang crime receive their primary income through Swedish welfare systems. The report has sparked strong reactions within the government.

According to the report, the benefits primarily consist of sickness benefits, disability benefits, and activity support.

In total, approximately €320 million has been paid out in recent years to around 4,000 individuals in the gang criminal environment.

Among the benefit-related criminal schemes identified in the report are fake medical certificates and so-called sham separations, where couples register as separated but in practice continue living together.

Anna Tenje, Swedish Minister for Elderly Affairs and Social Insurance, has reacted strongly to the findings.

In a comment to the Swedish news agency TT, she says: – This is astonishing and deeply provocative. Our collective welfare funds should go to those with the greatest need. Instead, they end up in criminals' pockets and fuel gang crime.

Anna Tenje emphasizes that the findings confirm a problem the government has long been aware of, and points to several measures aimed at stopping welfare fraud linked to the gang criminal environment.

Pengar lön köpkraft
According to Försäkringskassan, several billion has been paid out to gang criminals in recent years. Press photo: Riksbanken

Stricter regulations

An important component, according to Anna Tenje, is the new legislation on confidentiality-breaking provisions that will take effect in December this year. This tool is intended to make it easier for government agencies to share information with each other.

She also highlights efforts against fake medical certificates and a stricter sanction system with benefit blocks for individuals who repeatedly commit welfare fraud.

The government estimates that between €1.3 and €1.7 billion is paid out incorrectly from welfare systems each year, of which approximately half is assessed to constitute outright welfare fraud.

– This is about maintaining the legitimacy of the systems. Hard-working people must be able to trust that the money goes to the right people. If we are to break the gangs, we must cut off this supply of our collective tax funds, says Tenje.

Försäkringskassan: "facade of legitimate income"

Nils Öberg, director general of Försäkringskassan, says in a press release that the report shows how gang criminals exploit the social insurance system to create a "facade of legitimate income".

​– We see increasing gang crime that attacks the entire society, and we are now working on a broad front to secure the welfare system. This report is a result of government agencies now being able to share information with each other to a much greater extent than before. This makes it easier for us to break down the criminal economy, he says in a comment to TV4, owned by Norwegian media company Schibsted.

The Swedish police's latest situation assessment shows that around 67,500 people are part of the Swedish gang environment.

Of these, 17,500 are classified as active gang criminals, while the remainder are assessed as having some form of connection to the networks.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/norway/three-out-of-ten-norwegian-adolescents-have-experienced-delusions-or-hallucinations/

Norway

Three out of ten Norwegian adolescents have experienced delusions or hallucinations

Published today 1:31 pm – By Editorial staff
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

A new Norwegian study shows that a surprisingly large proportion of adolescents have experienced mild psychotic symptoms. Researchers emphasize that for most people, these experiences are transient but may signal underlying psychological vulnerability.

Nearly 30 percent of Norwegian adolescents report having experienced mild hallucinations or delusions at some point. This is revealed in a new large-scale study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, which includes nearly 50,000 participants.

— It's a surprisingly large proportion of adolescents, says researcher Viktoria Birkenæs, one of those behind the study, to Norwegian state broadcaster NRK.

The study is based on survey responses from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study – one of the world's largest health studies.

The data are evenly distributed between children and their parents, making it possible to compare generations.

Common to feel persecuted

The most common are paranoid delusions, such as feeling persecuted or monitored. Hallucinations, meaning hearing or seeing things that aren't there, are significantly less common, according to the research group.

The experiences vary greatly in both intensity and character. For some, it involves brief symptoms that don't significantly affect daily life, while others experience distressing episodes that greatly disrupt their functioning.

— Some people experience brief, transient symptoms that don't disturb them, while others have distressing experiences that greatly affect their daily lives, explains Birkenæs.

Sleep deprivation has an impact

For most people, these experiences occur during periods of high stress, strong emotions, sleep deprivation, or substance use.

When symptoms become so severe that they affect daily life, they can progress to serious clinical diagnoses. The study found no notable differences between genders.

Although the vast majority of those reporting such experiences don't develop mental disorders, psychotic symptoms at an early age can be a sign of underlying psychological vulnerability, according to Birkenæs.

— It may also indicate that some people are more sensitive to influences from their environment, which may require early interventions, she says.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/stegra-granted-more-swedish-state-funds-despite-debts-and-unpaid-wages/

Sweden

Stegra granted more Swedish state funds despite debts and unpaid wages

Published today 11:25 am – By Editorial staff
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Swedish steel company Stegra has been granted an additional €35 million in state funding from the Swedish Energy Agency. This despite Turkish workers raising alarms about unpaid wages for nine months.

Stegra was founded in 2020 by billionaire Harald Mix through investment company Vargas and was originally called H2 Green Steel. Mix was also involved in starting the battery factory Northvolt, which has now collapsed.

However, the billionaire left the steel company in October, along with his investment company, which was replaced by Just Climate, a subsidiary of notorious climate activist Al Gore's environmental investment firm.

The goal of the new steel plant in Boden, northern Sweden, is to produce steel using hydrogen gas. This is claimed to be "climate-friendly" by reducing carbon dioxide emissions by up to 95 percent.

But the "climate-smart steel" project has not been particularly successful – the plan was for steel production to start in 2024 and also create significant job opportunities for residents in the region.

Instead, the production start has been postponed to the turn of 2026/2027, while both costs and debts have skyrocketed.

No wages for nine months

In November this year, Turkish workers raised alarms that they had not received wages for nine months, and that they were planning to go on hunger strike until the wages were paid into their accounts.

Before this, the guest workers had been promised $13 per hour, which was then reduced to $9 before wages stopped completely.

At the same time, Stegra complained that the money had run out and that they needed an additional €900 million to complete the project, something that tax-funded Swedish public broadcaster SVT reported on.

Green light for additional taxpayer money

Despite the problems with employee wage payments, the Swedish Energy Agency has now decided to grant Stegra €35 million in state funding.

The justification is that the project has "good opportunities to accelerate the transition within the iron and steel industry".

— Swedish industry is on its journey toward fossil freedom. That journey will give Sweden major advantages in the form of increased competitiveness and reduced emissions. Companies are paving the way forward through innovation, new solutions and products. But state support is necessary for industry to be able to make the technological leaps required to succeed with the transition, says Caroline Asserup, Director General of the Swedish Energy Agency, in a press release.

Stegra has already received a significant amount in state funding, with the Swedish Energy Agency previously granting a total of €108 million, of which €76 million has already been paid out. €23 million is planned to be paid out in November.

Furthermore, the company has also received €250 million from the EU's Innovation Fund.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/norway/norwegian-dairy-giant-pauses-bovaer-after-reports-of-sick-cows/

Norway

Norwegian dairy giant pauses Bovaer after reports of sick cows

Published yesterday 11:34 am – By Editorial staff
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Norwegian dairy organization Norsk Melkeråvare has temporarily halted the use of the feed additive Bovaer. The decision comes following reports from Denmark about cows falling ill after receiving the additive, and Norwegian incidents have also been reported.

Arla's methane-reducing feed supplement began being introduced last year and today has been tested in countries including the United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. However, consumers have protested strongly against Bovaer, as the effects on animals and the final product remain unknown – many have therefore boycotted Arla or products from cows given Bovaer.

Recently, several dairy farmers in Denmark have raised alarms about their cows becoming sick after starting with Bovaer. Among them, farmer Huibert van Dorp recently reported that his cows became acutely ill, with one dying suddenly. He argues that the supplement violates animal welfare laws as it causes suffering to the animals.

"More knowledge"

Now the Norwegian dairy organization Norsk Melkeråvare has temporarily halted the use of the feed additive. This is partly due to the Danish farmers' warnings, but Norwegian milk producers have also reported incidents.

"We have decided to pause until we have more knowledge", writes Norsk Melkeråvare according to All About Feed, which emphasizes that the decision is based on the precautionary principle.

In November, a major British study concluded in which Arla tested the supplement on 30 dairy farms, but the results have not yet been evaluated.

A new meeting regarding the matter will be held in January between the milk producer and the contracting parties, according to the Norwegian government.

In Sweden, Bovaer is used by a number of farms, but many have chosen to forgo the supplement. On Mejerikollen, consumers can find a guide to which companies use the so-called climate-smart supplement.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com