Problem

Youths today live in a world with high demands and a lot of pressure. On top of this, they still face a stigma towards mental illness. In Sweden, 1 out of 4 youths between the ages of 16-24 suffer from mental illness such as anxiety and depression. However, only half of those seek the help they need to get better. As a society, we are not doing enough to see, hear, or understand the mental health needs of youths, which often comes from a lack of compassion, knowledge about the issue, and access to adults they could talk to. Their isolation contributes to feelings of loneliness and higher rates of suicides.

Solution

Anne Sofie Blixt created Tilia, a place where youths can always go when other agencies are closed. Here, youths can get a personal meeting with an adult who will listen to them talk openly whenever they feel the need to. The vision of Tilia is for every youth with mental illness to have access to appropriate care, help when they need it most, and activities that support positive mental health. By creating an open and compassionate meeting place where youths could find acceptance and understanding, all young people would be able to get access and support in time. The goal is that all young people living with mental illness will feel heard and have the tools to cope with their daily life.


Listen to Tilia’s podcast, “Tiliapodden,” to hear more about what causes mental illness (in Swedish). http://foreningentilia.se/tiliapodden/

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