Poor people are depressed, empires are burned out

Study on adult health in Germany

06/18/2012

According to a study by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the incidence of mental illness in Germany has increased significantly. It became clear that people with high incomes increasingly pay for their wealth with the burnout syndrome and low-paid people suffer from depression too often.

Mental illnesses are developing into a major social problem in Germany. The "prevalence of mental illnesses" has significantly increased according to the "Study on adult health in Germany" (DEGS) of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), according to the main body of researchers. It showed that more than 30 percent of the respondents in the last twelve months suffered from a mental disorder or disorder. The highest rate of disease among young people. The 18- to 35-year-olds showed a prevalence of 45 percent. While women usually suffered from phobias, anxiety disorders and depression, men were particularly affected by addictions. Only a few of the patients were treated therapeutically. About 30 percent of those affected stated that they were going into medical or therapeutic hands because of their mental illness. This was done by many of the study participants only when the disorder already reached a significant level of illness and everyday life was restricted. Most of them also started outpatient or inpatient treatment years after the onset of the condition.

The rich suffer from burnout and the poor from depression
It was interesting in this context that significant differences in the diseases among the different income groups were identified. 14 percent of those with low household incomes suffered primarily from depression, while those with a high socioeconomic status were only 4.6 percent depressed. For rich people with 5.8 percent usually suffered from a burnout syndrome. Low-income individuals were "burned-out" in just 2.6 percent of cases.

In numerous evaluations of the health insurance companies in recent years, there has been a significant increase in absenteeism in the workplace due to mental illness. The DEGS study also found that depression and the associated with high risk of lost time. According to this, every third participant in the study stated that they had been on sick leave for three to four days in the last four weeks due to a mental illness. If the subjects were affected by several disorders at the same time, the sickness days multiplied to about 12 days per month.

Between 2008 and 2011, around 7800 adults between the ages of 18 and 80 were questioned by means of a questionnaire to determine the results. In order to secure the representative insights, additional interviews and extensive physical examinations of the subjects by doctors took place. In addition to the interview, the blood pressure and pulse were measured, a urine and blood sample taken, the volume of the thyroid gland evaluated, a stress test and physical and cognitive function tests performed. A comprehensive and comprehensive thematic publication of the study results will be published in the coming year 2013 in issue 5/6 of the Bundesgesundheitsblatt. (Sb)

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