Theme: Mental Health
The number of sick points due to mental illness recently reached one in Germany
. At the same time, the issue of mental health is affecting more and more people and society is also focusing on the topic. Especially the little ones
he is open on the topic and talks openly about his mental health. Mental health does not simply explain the absence of
such as depression and fatigue, but mainly include positive factors: job satisfaction, well-being and individual symptoms.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “mental health is a state of health in which a person can fulfill his potential, cope effectively with the normal stresses of life, function to be successful and contribute to his community.” As part of a survey conducted by Ipsos on the occasion of “World Mental Health Day” on October 10, half of Germans said in 2022 that they had felt depressed at least once in the past year who heard their needs. life can no longer cope with the situation.
What influences mental health and how do illnesses develop?
Due to national (international) disasters such as climate change, the corona epidemic, the rise in the cost of living and wars, which affect citizens more or less in their lives, stress and anxiety people are increasing. According to an annual survey by R+V Versicherung, around 65 percent of Germans’ biggest fear is the rising cost of living. In the second and third places in the ranking is the fear of unaffordable housing (60 percent) and increased taxes or reduced services in general (57 percent). However, increased stress and anxiety need not be the beginning of mental illness.
Mental illnesses cannot be directly traced to a single cause. Biological factors, family circumstances (eg, parents with depression) as well as stressful and traumatic life experiences in the past (eg, breakups, death of a significant person) are considered to be the cause of development. -before it. The interaction of various factors provides information about how stress or stressful events in life, such as conflicts, serious illnesses or separations affect the human body. For some people, the daily demands can be overwhelming, while other people experience mental problems when they are under extreme stress or depression.
Mental illness in Germany
The number of sick days due to mental illnesses has increased significantly and last year there were more days missed in Germany than ever before due to mental illnesses: In 2023, there were an average of 323.4 days of sick leave due to mental illness for every 100. insurance years. Only about 57 percent of Germans are satisfied with their lives. More and more people are now seeking professional help and talking to experts about their problems. However, the waiting time for psychiatric consultation is long and the number of unreported cases of those who keep their mental illness to themselves is still high. The most common mental illnesses in Germany include depression, burnout and eating disorders.
Differences in age and gender
When it comes to dealing with their mental health, women and men as well as generations behave differently. Men don’t often talk about their mental health problems, depression or anxiety – they can often be explained by gender specific stereotypes. Men are diagnosed with depression only half as often as women. Suicide and addiction, on the other hand, are very common. In 2023, 7,478 men died by suicide, while the number of female suicides was 2,826.
The topic of mental health is largely unheard of among today’s youth and adults, while it is often ignored and reluctant to talk about among baby boomers and adults. 38 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds believe mental health is a major challenge for today’s youth.
Role of social media
In recent years, especially after the corona epidemic, the issue of mental health has become important to society. Social media is becoming a blessing and a curse at the same time. On the other hand, Instagram and the like can have a negative impact on the psyche: comparing your person to the world with the improved and sometimes embellished methods of other users can affect self-esteem profound and lead to depression and depressed mood. . In this case, something else has emerged: FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) – the fear of missing out on something. The Cambridge Dictionary defines this term as: “the uneasy feeling that one might miss out on the good experiences that other people have had, often caused by things posted on social media channels” .
On the other hand, famous people and influencers, especially on social media Instagram and TikTok, also express themselves with topics that do not really correspond to the “perfect world of social media”, but are part of ‘ a fact of life for many. Among others, they talk about topics such as racism, equality or mental health and some of them come out as relevant. Having people who have the opportunity to speak publicly is important to help bring visibility to these issues and break the stigma. However, some influencers use this situation as an opportunity to “market” mental illness in their reports. Although it should really be about freeing mental illness from prejudice and removing taboos, the topic is misused for advertising, and, at least, it has been reduced.
The community mental health service offers free advice and help for adults with mental health problems, mental illness, crisis situations, suicidal thoughts, addiction problems, mental health problems related to age and mental disability, and for their relatives and social environment. Here you will find the addresses of mental health services in the different federal states.
This text represents the basic information. Due to various updates, the statistics may reflect the current state of the data.
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