A national investigation function to prevent suicide

Anna Vikström (S)

Mr. Speaker! Suicide among young people in Sweden is not decreasing; on the contrary, we see a worrying development in certain groups. Particularly alarming is the increase among girls aged 10–14 years. This is the largest increase measured since 1980. This is happening at the same time as the general trend in the country is moving in the other direction. Behind the overall figures lies a reality where our young people are being let down.

According to the Swedish Agency for Health and Care's register of causes of death, today every fourth death among young people between 10 and 19 years of age is suicide. This means that we are talking about children who have seen no other way out.

Certain groups of children run an increased risk of dying by suicide while simultaneously having poorer access to support and protective measures. This applies, for example, to children in social care, children in economic vulnerability, children with a migration background, children with neuropsychiatric disabilities, hbtqi youth, and children with experience of violence or mental illness in the family.

Suicide can involve a chain of factors: failures in school, bullying, trauma, and an increasingly negative self-esteem. Child psychiatry testifies that all younger children now express suicidal thoughts. This is not a development that has come suddenly. It is the result of deficiencies in how we identify, support, and protect our children.

We know, for example, that school plays a decisive role for children's self-esteem and that mental ill-health is exacerbated by social and economic vulnerability. And we know that a lack of coordination between different interventions causes young people to fall through the cracks. Every omitted measure means we risk that another child is not caught in time. Every such failure is a failure for society as a whole. When a child leaves primary or lower secondary school with feelings of inadequacy, we have failed much earlier than at the acute crisis.

Mr. Speaker! Against the background that more knowledge is needed regarding suicide, we are today discussing a government bill on establishing a state function for the investigation of suicide when children are affected. The new law means that an investigation shall always be carried out when a child up to 18 years of age has died by suicide. The proposed age limit is judged to be reasonable and expedient from a resource perspective. No one denies the need to investigate suicide in more age groups, but starting with children is urgent. The new law also means that an investigation may be carried out when an adult has died by suicide or when a child or an adult has died and the cause of death is unclear, if such an investigation is judged to prevent suicide.

The purpose is clear. It is to improve society's learning and to prevent future deaths. This is an important step. Currently, only a quarter of suicide cases among children are investigated through existing systems, such as lex Maria. This means that we lack knowledge about the majority of the cases. We simply do not know enough about what went wrong and, therefore, not what could have been done differently.

The proposed law provides an opportunity to identify deficiencies, learn lessons, and strengthen society's collective capacity regarding suicide prevention work. There is a long series of examples of what can be analyzed with the support of this law. It could involve individual decisions, resource allocation, accessibility to care and support, recurring patterns of insufficient cooperation, situations where people's needs have not been taken seriously, and whether available knowledge has been used or not.

The results of the investigations also need to lead to a concrete change in the support surrounding children and young people in society. Therefore, this bill is very important. But it must be followed by knowledge being put into action. We must do much more to ensure that no human being ends up in a situation where suicide appears as the only way out.

(Applause)

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Christofer Bergenblock (C)

Mr. Speaker! We need to talk more about the mental health of young people. Recently, a report was released from the National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention stating that the number of suicides among children aged 10–14 has continued to increase and that the girls in that age group have now overtaken the boys.

One can look at the entire group of children, adolescents, and young adults up to 25 years old: 135 people died by suicide during 2024. It remains the most common cause of death among boys and young men. This is nothing other than a massive failure for society. Every life that is wasted is a catastrophe. It is a catastrophe for the individual who saw no other way out, but also for their relatives who are left with longing and despair and with gnawing thoughts that they perhaps could have done something differently.

But it is society that could have truly done something different. Therefore, it is good that we now have a new strategy for mental health and suicide prevention, and it is good that we are now going to make decisions that every suicide among children shall be followed by an accident investigation in order to better be able to prevent suicide in the future.

The government's proposal is that these investigations shall cover children up to 18 years of age. We from the Center Party propose that this should extend up to 25 years of age because we see that mental ill-health and suicide also occur during the years as a young adult.

Mr. Speaker! Certainly, one can see the age of majority as a logical boundary, but life is not as binary as the age of majority. It would have been significantly more logical to conduct mandatory accident investigations even for youths who are in their third year of upper secondary school or who are beginning their adult lives at a college, a workplace, or in the worst case, in unemployment. We know that the first adult years can be quite mentally and emotionally taxing.

To be honest, I actually find it difficult to understand why the government parties do not share this assessment, but for my part, I move for approval of the Centerpartiets reservation under point 2 in the report.

Suicide among children and young people is the ultimate consequence of a society that has failed to provide the right support and the right conditions in life. It is a society that has not been there when it was needed. It is a society that has not helped the young person and that has not given them the support they have needed. It is a society that has failed in one of its most important missions. Therefore, from the Center Party's side, we will demand that the next government, regardless of what it looks like, shall prioritize the mental health of children and young people. But it is not enough with a little patching and mending; instead, a historic investment is required. For us, it is not about a single reform but about getting the entire care chain to function. At least 3 billion extra must be invested to build up an accessible and well-functioning care for children and young people who are mentally unwell.

It is not least about accessibility and speed. When children or young people need help because they are mentally unwell, they must be able to receive that help immediately, so that the problems do not grow even larger. Therefore, we want to introduce a school health guarantee which means that all students shall be guaranteed support within 24 hours. The school is, after all, the environment where children and young people move around the most, which makes it natural that the first support comes from there.

Another actor that meets many young people are the youth reception centers. We believe that their responsibility should be expanded to receive young people free of charge up to the age of 25. Furthermore, we want to demand that child and adolescent psychiatry be available around the clock throughout the country. It does not always have to be about physical availability but can also be digital.

For a child or a young person who needs help from specialized healthcare, it works poorly to be placed in a queue, because life moves so fast in the teenage years. Therefore, it is also absolutely necessary to increase accessibility and cut the queues. This, in turn, presupposes investments in more specialist doctors and more psychologists.

Furthermore, the transition between child and adult psychiatry must function better than it does today. Today, the contact is sometimes broken quite abruptly when moving from child to adult psychiatry, which results in having to start over from the beginning or simply disappearing from care. No young person should be discharged from BUP on their 18th birthday without having a clear plan for continued support and treatment. No one should fall through the cracks.

Mr. Speaker! Sweden shall not be a country where young people are left alone with mental ill-health and long care queues. Sweden shall not be a country where suicide is seen as the natural way out of poor mental well-being. Sweden shall be a country where young people believe in the future, receive help in time when it is needed, and have the opportunity to build their lives and their future.

From the Center Party's side, we are clear: The next government must reverse the mental ill-health among children and young people and have as its goal to build the healthiest generation ever.

Sweden can do more than this – much, much more.

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Carita Boulwén (SD)

Madam Speaker! Today we are debating the Social Committee's report 31, A national investigation function to prevent suicide.

Every year, around 1,500 people in Sweden lose their lives in suicide. Behind every figure is a person, a family, and relatives whose lives are changed forever.

Every suicide is a tragedy for the person who no longer saw any other way out, for the relatives who are left behind, and for the surrounding society. Therefore, we must learn when it is possible in hindsight to see signals, contacts, or occasions where more could have been done.

Madam Speaker! No human being should end up in such a vulnerable situation that the only way out is perceived to be suicide. Therefore, the suicide prevention work must be taken most seriously – in healthcare, in schools, in social services, and in society at large.

We in the Sweden Democrats therefore welcome that the government, within the framework of the Tidö agreement, is now moving forward with a bill on a national investigation function to prevent suicide. This is well in line with the work that the Sweden Democrats have long championed.

Madam Speaker! The Sweden Democrats have for a long time highlighted the need for a disaster commission in cases of suicide. By that, we mean that suicide should be analyzed more systematically so that society can see what has happened, what contacts have existed with, for example, healthcare, social services, school, or other actors, and where the support may have been lacking.

When a person has been lost, society must not simply move on. We must ask if signals were picked up, if cooperation functioned, and if support or follow-up could have been provided earlier.

The proposition is an important step in that direction. It means that a new law is being introduced regarding investigations to prevent suicide. An investigative authority shall be responsible for carrying out the investigations in order to strengthen society's learning and the preventive work.

An investigation shall always be conducted when a child has died by suicide. If an investigation is judged to be able to contribute to preventing suicide, an investigation may also be carried out when an adult has died by suicide or when a child or an adult has died and the cause of death is unclear. The investigation shall clarify and analyze circumstances that may have influenced the death and what measures have been taken, or could have been taken, to prevent it.

The proposition also means that the relevant authorities and operations shall be able to provide the information needed for the investigation. At the same time, confidentiality protection is introduced for sensitive information regarding individuals and their close relatives. It is important that society can learn, but it is also important that personal privacy is protected.

Madam Speaker! The Sweden Democrats have specifically highlighted young adults up to 29 years of age in the preparation. It is a group where the development is concerning. The Public Health Agency's analyses show that suicide rates have increased among young adults aged 20–29, while the same increase is not seen among adolescents aged 15–19. This applies not least to young men but also to individuals where substance abuse, gambling problems, indebtedness, or economic vulnerability worsens the life situation.

At the same time, the suicide statistics show that the risks look different in different groups. We see worrying signals among children and girls of younger ages, while at the same time many suicides occur among older and middle-aged men. It shows that suicide prevention must be broad enough to capture different life situations, risk factors, and warning signs.

That is why it is important that the bill also opens up for adult cases to be investigated when it can contribute to preventing new suicides. The decisive step forward will be that this possibility is used where it can make a difference, both when it concerns young adults and other groups where there is a need for in-depth knowledge.

The new law and the amendments are proposed to enter into force on 2 July 2026.

Madam Speaker! This also needs to be seen as part of a larger effort. Within the framework of the Tidö agreement, several important measures are now being taken to strengthen the work on mental health, psychiatry, and suicide prevention.

Among other things, decisions have been made regarding a national strategy for mental health and suicide prevention, which spans ten years. This is important, because the work must be long-term and unified, not built on short-term point interventions. The strategy also clarifies that the responsibility cannot rest on psychiatry alone. The entire society needs to contribute – healthcare, schools, social services, the working life, and civil society – to detect mental ill-health earlier and ensure that people receive support before the situation becomes acute.

Within the framework of this work, initiatives have also been taken for more targeted measures against specific risk factors, including through the assignment to Socialstyrelsen and Konsumentverket to strengthen the support for municipal budget and debt counseling. This is important, because indebtedness, gambling problems, and economic vulnerability can contribute to mental ill-health and suicide risk.

For children and young people, early interventions, functioning school health services, and better cooperation between school, healthcare, and social services are required. For the elderly, care, nursing, and social interventions need to better identify mental ill-health in a timely manner, not least when loneliness, illness, or the loss of loved ones become risk factors.

Madam Speaker! The suicide prevention work is about people getting help before the situation becomes acute. Therefore, the reopening of the national helpline was an important step. It was something that I and the Sverigedemokraterna pushed for, because the possibility of quickly being able to speak with someone in a difficult situation can be completely decisive.

But suicide prevention is also about the human responsibility to dare to ask when someone is suffering, to dare to take signals seriously and to ensure that people do not become alone with their thoughts. Not everyone who takes their life has had contact with psychiatry. Some have had contact with healthcare, social services, school or other actors while others have not been caught at all. Therefore, suicide prevention must be broader than psychiatry.

Madam Speaker! With this bill, an important step is taken towards stronger preventive work and more systematic learning following suicide.

With that, I move for approval of the committee's proposal for a decision.

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Ulrika Westerlund (MP)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, former colleagues in the Committee on Social Affairs! It is pleasant to be here as a substitute and to speak as a guest on this pressing, important topic.

Miljöpartiet welcomes the introduction of legislation that will enable society to learn from suicide and from deaths where the cause of death is unclear in a more systematic way. This is in line with our policy. We have long pushed for stronger, more cohesive, and more preventive work against mental ill-health and suicide. One needs to learn from what has happened, see patterns, identify deficiencies, and change working methods so that more lives can be saved.

The proposition means that an investigation shall always be carried out when a child under 18 years of age dies by suicide. It is important. When a child takes its own life, society must do everything we can to understand what has happened and what could have been done differently. The investigations shall clarify and analyze circumstances that may have been significant, and they shall analyze what measures were taken or could have been taken to prevent the death. This is the right direction.

It is also correct that the investigations should be able to cover more actors than just healthcare. Suicide prevention is not an issue for a single organization. It can involve healthcare, social services, schools, the working life, the justice system, civil society, and relatives. Often it is precisely in the transitions between different organizations where shortcomings occur. Therefore, a national function is needed that can see the whole.

Madam Speaker! Miljöpartiet supports the government's bill, but we also believe that the proposition should have gone a bit further. Therefore, we have joined the Centerpartiet's reservation, which Vänsterpartiet has also done. I therefore move for approval of that reservation. It concerns the fact that the mandatory duty to investigate should not stop at children under 18 years of age. It should cover children and young adults up to 25 years of age. The reason for this is simple, we think. The transition from adolescence to adulthood is a very vulnerable period. It is a time when many leave school, move out of home, and seek work or studies. At the same time, they are expected to manage more and more on their own.

We know that the transition between BUP and adult psychiatry does not always work. In our own motion on improved mental health and strengthened public health, Miljöpartiet has highlighted exactly the gap between BUP and adult psychiatry. For some, the transition works well, but for others, it means that the contact with care becomes uncertain, that the responsibility becomes unclear, or that the young adult themselves is expected to navigate a system that is already difficult to understand from the start. It is not reasonable, we believe.

No 18-year-old who is suffering greatly should be left alone to find their way in adult psychiatry. Therefore, we want to see better routines for the transition from BUP to adult care, for example, joint handover meetings, double care contacts during a transition period, or special clinics for young adults. The same logic should apply to the national investigation function. If one is serious about understanding what is lacking for young people, one must also systematically investigate suicide among young adults.

Madam Speaker! Miljöpartiet has also submitted a separate statement in the report. There we clarify that even though the bill is welcome, we believe that it should cover more.

Firstly, we believe that the investigation function in the future should also be able to include suicide attempts. We also proposed this in a previous motion, 2025/26:3544. A suicide attempt is a very serious event, but it is also an opportunity for society to learn before it is too late. If a person has been close to taking their own life, the healthcare system and other relevant activities need to be able to analyze what happened. Were there deficiencies in accessibility? Were the waiting times too long? Were there signals that were not caught? Was there support that should have been put in place earlier?

Secondly, we argue that in the long run it should be considered whether investigations should be mandatory in all cases of suicide regardless of age. We understand that it could become a very extensive operation, but we still want to launch that idea. The Government's bill means that suicide among adults may be investigated if the investigating authority judges that it can contribute to suicide-preventive learning. It is naturally better than not investigating at all, but there is a risk that adult suicide is treated more selectively. The majority of those who die by suicide are adults. If one does not systematically learn from these cases, there is a risk of missing important patterns, especially regarding groups that already today have poorer access to support and protection.

Thirdly, we want to highlight particularly vulnerable groups. Suicide prevention must be equitable. This means that one must see the groups where the risk is elevated and where access to support is poorer. It could be about young hbtqi-persons, older men, persons with intellectual disabilities, persons with dependency issues, persons with NPF, people in social vulnerability, or persons living in involuntary loneliness. Preventive work that does not see differences in life conditions risks missing those who need the support most.

Madam Speaker! Miljöpartiet welcomes the bill; it is a step forward. But we also need to be clear that the work is not finished. More needs to be learned from suicide among young adults. Lessons also need to be learned from suicide attempts. In the long run, a more comprehensive knowledge of suicide at all ages needs to be built up. Above all, the preventive work needs to be strengthened in healthcare, schools, social services, civil society, and society at large.

When someone takes their own life, it is a human suffering that cannot be fully described in a committee report or a bill, but politics has a responsibility to do what we can and build systems that identify the problems earlier, act faster, and learn more systematically. Therefore, Miljöpartiet supports this bill, therefore I move for approval of the reservation, and therefore the party will continue to push for a stronger, broader, and more equitable suicide prevention work.

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Thomas Ragnarsson (M)

Madam Speaker! Today we are debating the report SoU31 A national investigation function to prevent suicide. I would like to begin by moving for approval of the committee's proposal for a decision.

Madam Speaker! People's mental health is an issue that the Moderaterna have highlighted for many years, not least when it concerns children and young people. Therefore, it is gratifying to see the reform work that has taken place during this parliamentary term regarding the clarification of the distribution of responsibility and the funds earmarked for the purpose.

Mental health does not only concern psychiatry; school, social services, and primary care are activities that are affected to the highest degree. Here, the new Social Services Act will play a role, while work regarding changed school health is underway and primary care's mandate as first-line psychiatry has been clarified.

Madam Speaker! We have decided on a national strategy for mental health and suicide prevention. It is an important steering document for how we are to work with the issue in Sweden. It can be stated that there are large differences, both demographically and geographically, in how the preventive work is conducted and how patients are cared for. At the same time, knowledge is a driving factor for such a strategy to function, and we see that there are large knowledge gaps. Therefore, this proposition is extremely important.

Madam Speaker! Suicide should always be seen as a great failure for society. It is difficult, if not impossible, to empathize with the plight that must exist within the person who thinks about or has decided to take their own life. At the same time, we see how suicide affects the remaining family, friends, and sometimes entire local communities. However, there has been no one who has had the overarching responsibility to review these cases. Therefore, I am pleased that the Moderate-led government is now presenting a national investigation function that shall review cases concerning children under 19 years of age. The investigation function can also investigate cases concerning adults if it is judged that it can contribute to preventing suicide.

Madam Speaker! To create space for the investigators, a number of changes are proposed that will enable professional authorities to be able to assist in the investigation and that also next of kin in some cases shall be able to be helpful in this work. State authorities shall be helpful with expert knowledge when requested.

An investigation shall contain a mapping and analysis of the circumstances that have contributed to the death occurring and subsequently compile measures that have been taken or should have been taken to prevent the death.

We know for certain that such systematic work functions within other areas, for example, the Accident Investigation Board's work regarding traffic accidents with fatal outcomes. There, the knowledge has led to preventive work for road safety, which has resulted in us having very few accidents with fatal outcomes today.

Madam Speaker! During my professional career, I have unfortunately had to handle many cases concerning suicide, and these are matters that I will always carry with me. It is partly about having seen the forces that can be unleashed in a person who has firmly decided to take their own life, and partly about thinking about the agony that moved through the person's head. Not infrequently, one also needs to take care of relatives in connection with the incident. I believe everyone can imagine the chaos that prevails at such an occasion.

I am therefore pleased that we in this chamber agree on the importance of this bill. For me, it is important that we in politics do everything in our power to prevent suicide in society. The basis for such work is knowledge, and I am completely convinced that over time we will see results that reduce the number of deaths by suicide in Sweden.

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Dan Hovskär (KD)

Madam Speaker! I would like to begin by moving for the approval of the proposal in report SoU31.

Every case of suicide is a tragedy. It is a tragedy for the person who loses their life, for the relatives who are left behind in grief and often lifelong longing, and for the entire society, which is faced with the difficult question of whether this could have been prevented.

Behind the statistics are people – children, young people and adults – who experienced that there was no longer any way forward in life. Therefore, suicide prevention must never be reduced to figures or administrative processes. Ultimately, it is about human value, responsibility and our ability as a society to see people in time.

The Christian Democrats therefore welcome the government's proposal for a national investigation function to prevent suicide, and we support the Social Affairs Committee's proposal in the report.

Madam Speaker! This week we could read headlines in Svenska Dagbladet about suicide among young girls increasing and, in some age groups, surpassing boys. It is a serious trend break. For a long time, suicide among boys and men has been particularly highlighted, and that has been necessary. But at the same time, we now see reports of mental ill-health, anxiety, self-harming behaviors, and suicide-related actions among more and more young girls.

This is not a temporary signal. It is a sign that society is failing to catch children and young people in time. We must take this most seriously.

Mental health issues rarely arise in a vacuum. Suicide is almost never the result of a single event. Often, it is about a complex web of mental illness, loneliness, bullying, trauma, substance abuse, vulnerability, or a lack of support from those around them. All too often, there are also deficiencies in the coordination between healthcare, social services, schools, and other societal actors.

That is why local investigations alone are not enough. We need a function that can lift its gaze, identify patterns over time, analyze how different parts of society interact – or fail to interact – and translate knowledge into concrete improvements. This is precisely what the national investigation function aims to do.

Madam Speaker! In January 2023, the Government appointed the Suicide Analysis Inquiry with a mandate to examine how a national responsibility for broad incident analyses following suicides could be designed. In the autumn of 2024, the report "Vital Learning – More Paths to Knowledge to Prevent Suicide" was presented. Now, the Government is taking the next step by proposing a new law on investigations to prevent suicide.

The proposal means that a national investigative authority shall conduct investigations when children die by suicide. Even when adults die by suicide or when the cause of death is unclear, investigations can be carried out if it is judged to contribute to the suicide prevention work. The investigations shall analyze circumstances that may have influenced the death and examine what measures were taken or could have been taken to prevent it. This is important. If we do not learn from what has happened, we risk repeating the same mistakes over and over again.

Madam Speaker! This is not about pointing fingers or about guilt, it is about responsibility. We need a society that dares to examine itself when people fall through the cracks, a society that does not settle for stating that something went wrong but also asks why and what we can do better next time.

The Christian Democrats believe that this is particularly important when children and young people are affected. When a child takes their own life, society must have the courage to ask the difficult questions. Did the child receive help in time? Were there signs that we missed? Was there a lack of cooperation between the school, healthcare, and social services? Could any intervention have made a difference? These are questions that cannot always be fully answered. But we have a responsibility to try.

Madam Speaker! An important part of this work is also to listen to the relatives. Many parents, siblings, and next of kin carry experiences and insights that must never be lost. They often know which warning signs were present, what obstacles arose, and what support was lacking. Therefore, it is important that the law clearly establishes that relatives shall be given the opportunity to contribute information when an investigation is conducted, unless it is obviously inappropriate. This is not only respectful; it is also necessary to improve the preventive work.

Madam Speaker! The Christian Democrats also want to emphasize the importance of strong preventive work long before people end up in acute crisis. It is about an accessible child and adolescent psychiatry, a functioning school health service, safe families, adults who see the children, and strong social networks. It is about countering loneliness and mental ill-health among both young and old. And it is about building a society where people feel hope, coherence, and meaning.

For us Christian Democrats, a human being is never just an individual in a system. Every human being has an inviolable value and needs community, security, and relationships to feel well. Therefore, suicide prevention must also be the responsibility of the entire society.

The Government and the Christian Democrats are now implementing several important initiatives to strengthen preventive work. We see historically large investments in child and adolescent psychiatry, with a specific BUP billion to increase accessibility and shorten the queues. National development teams support the regions to strengthen the quality and efficiency within BUP.

The government is also making a major primary care initiative for the first time regarding care for mental ill-health and is furthermore introducing clearer requirements in the Health and Medical Services Act that primary care shall be able to meet common mental health needs. In addition, a special initiative is being made on eating disorder care.

These are just some examples of important reforms that are now being implemented and that the Christian Democrats have been driving to get in place, so that every child and every young person can get help in time and, if possible, be able to feel better. The new law will enter into force on July 2, 2026.

We do this because knowledge saves lives. We do it because learning and cooperation can prevent future tragedies. And we do it because every person who can be saved is worth every effort we can make. No human should feel that life lacks a way out. No society may stop trying to find better ways in – to support, community, and hope.

The deliberation was hereby concluded.

(A decision was to be taken on 26 May.)

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