Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Cost of mental health for young women higher than for men

The back side of a t-shirt with the saying Mental health matters printed on it
The Federal Office of Public Health has recognised the increasing problem of mental health issues among youth and has stated it will release a report at the end of the year Online_yes San Francisco Chronicle

The cost of mental health treatment for young people in Switzerland is on the rise, with female patients accounting for an ever-larger slice of the bill, according to research of health insurance records.

The Tamedia media group, along with the Santésuisse health insurer, has uncovered evidence of how mental health issues for 11 to 18-year-olds is increasingly straining resources in Switzerland.

One in 10 teenagers and young adults sought mental healthcare treatment during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to one doctor interviewed by the Tages Anzeiger newspaper on Wednesday. But the rising number of cases in the last few years is also blamed on a variety of other social and work factors that heap pressure on younger people.

+Mental health issues were top cause of youth hospitalisations in 2021

Female patients are bearing the brunt of mental health issues and are more likely to require extensive treatments or be hospitalised, according to the analysis of costs between 2011 and 2021.

These show that the average annual cost of mental health treatments for young female patients, aged 11 to 18, was CHF350 ($388), compared to the CHF185 ($205) average annual cost for male patients.

In 2021 the cost of psychiatric services for young female patients rose from 17% of all health treatments in 2017 to 20% in 2021. For young males the mental health proportion of overall health costs remained constant at around 14%.

“We live in an era that is more psychologically stressful for young people,” Alain Di Gallo, Chief Physician at the psychiatry clinic in Basel, told the TagesAnzeiger. The increasing numbers of patients also reflect the fact that the issue of mental health is losing its stigma, allowing people to get help sooner.

+Spike in employee sick leave due to mental illness

The Federal Office of Public Health has recognised the increasing problem of mental health issues among youth and has stated it will release a report at the end of the year. The report will outline measures to improve mental health care services, with a focus on children and adolescents.

In 2021, psychological problems became the top cause of hospitalisations of 10-24-year-olds in Switzerland, surpassing injuries for the first time.

Such cases rose by 22% in 2021 among young women, and 13% among young men.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

No Swiss bank in phase with environmental objectives

More

Swiss banks failing environment, says WWF

This content was published on None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.

Read more: Swiss banks failing environment, says WWF
UNRWA provides emergency assistance to just over one million Palestine refugees, or about 75 per cent of all Palestine refugees in Gaza, who lack the financial means to cover their basic food.

More

Lazzarini: no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza

This content was published on The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.

Read more: Lazzarini: no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR