On the sidelines of World Mental Health Day, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway made two mental health-related visits this week.
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Crown Princess Mette-Marit visits Mental Health Council
On October 7, 2024, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, 51, visited the Mental Health Council, an organization of which she is the godmother. The daughter-in-law of King Harald V made this visit on the sidelines of World Mental Health Day. This day, established by the World Health Organization (WHO), aims to raise awareness of mental health problems around the world.
This year, this day focuses on mutual aid and exchange. Researchers have shown that by spending just a few minutes a day listening to those around us, it could already make a difference in well-being and mental health.
During her visit to the Mental Health Council, Crown Princess Mette-Marit was able to discuss the topic of young people’s mental health with experts. The initial premise was the observation of the deterioration in the mental health of adolescents and children since the pandemic. On the other hand, we are also seeing a growing effort on the part of organizations and institutions from all walks of life to try to prevent mental health problems among young people.
“It was a wonderful and very educational visit”declared the Crown Princess after her meeting. “That’s always the case when I go there. I have had the chance to be the patron of this organization for 23 years and I am very happy about it. It’s always very educational and above all inspiring”.
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Crown Prince Haakon visits the Nic Waals Institute with his wife
The next day, October 8, Crown Prince Haakon, 51, joined his wife to participate in another engagement related to the same theme. The heir couple went to the Nic Waals Institute, an organization managed by Lovisenberg Hospital. During this visit, the heir to the throne and his wife wanted to understand the important work that was being done in favor of the mental health of children and adolescents.
At this institute, young people and their families meet professionals who provide care both at the institute and in outpatient hospitals at home. Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit visited the premises and met the staff. Haakon and Mette-Marit also met a young patient who is receiving treatment at an emergency outpatient hospital.
“The Nic Waals Institute wishes to increase its investments in home care and emphasizes that its creation has made it possible to avoid both admissions and placements in daycare, while also relieving the outpatient clinic and reducing treatment times there. ‘waiting’explains the Royal Court. It was in 1953 that the physician and pioneer Nic Waal founded the institute, which is still one of the most important in this field today. To continue the theme, the heir couple announced that they would organize a reception at their home in Skaugum on the theme of mental health at the beginning of November.