Younger drug users increasingly reach Jyväskylä emergency department

Increasing numbers of younger people are seeking help for drug use at the emergency department of Nova Hospital in Jyväskylä, Yle reports. Central Finland’s wellbeing services county says mixed substance use, overdoses and threats of violence among minors have become more common.

Päivi Kalilainen, director of family and social services in the wellbeing services county, said services were also seeing more alpha-PVP use and physical and psychological problems linked to substance use.

Between January and September this year, 65 minors came to Nova’s emergency department because of substance use or poisoning. Youth mental health and addiction services recorded 346 substance-related visits by under-18s last year. By the end of September this year, they had recorded 207 such visits, including 162 directly related to drug use.

New unit planned for teenagers

The wellbeing services county has applied for 2.3 million euros in state funding to establish a round-the-clock substance use treatment unit in Jyväskylä for young people aged 12 to 17.

The planned hybrid unit would bring together social services, child protection and healthcare professionals. It would support young people with serious substance use problems and help them stop using drugs. Treatment could also be provided against a young person’s wishes with child protection authorisation.

Central Finland does not currently have a dedicated substance use rehabilitation unit for minors. Young people have instead received help through outpatient services, child protection facilities, reform schools, services purchased outside the region or adolescent psychiatric wards.

Several factors behind the situation

Kalilainen said easier access to drugs was one factor behind the worsening situation. She also pointed to anxiety and uncertainty linked to the wider global situation, as well as high unemployment in Central Finland.

When families face unemployment, financial difficulties and child poverty, young people may try to deal with their problems through substance use, she said. In some cases, parents are unaware of a serious problem until an overdose or another crisis occurs.

Kalilainen said young people often need help with managing difficult emotions, attending school and building a clearer view of their future. The unit’s main aim would be to give them a safe opportunity to break free from substance use.