Best for Us-DK: Better treatment for children and young people with mental health problems or mental disorders.

Mental health problems among children and young people represent a growing public health concern in Denmark. Over the past 10 years, the number of children and young people in contact with Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has increased by more than 50%. Currently, approximately 15% of all children and young people receive a psychiatric diagnosis before the age of 18. This development places significant pressure on both municipal services and the healthcare system, and many families report that access to appropriate care is either delayed or insufficient in meeting their child’s needs.

The vision is that Best for You-DK should lead to better access, higher quality, and better outcomes in the treatment of children and young people with mental health problems and mental disorders. This will be achieved through improved cross-sector collaboration, family-centered treatment approaches, and digital solutions. The project aims to ensure earlier and more effective treatment, as well as improved coordination of interventions for children and young people experiencing mental health problems or mental disorder.

The project is a collaboration between the North Denmark Region, Aalborg University, several municipalities in Northern Jutland, and a range of national and international stakeholders. Best for You-DK is structured into seven work packages, which will generate knowledge and develop solutions for municipalities, general practice, regional healthcare providers, and civil society. The Danish Center for Health Services Research is actively involved in several parts of the project, as described below: