Depression is common and life-threatening

Get help quickly for signs of depression

01/09/2013

„Depression is a common, serious and often life-threatening disease that can affect anyone“, says Prof. dr. Ulrich Hegerl, Chairman of the Foundation German Depression Aid. Today more than 1,200 people affected by depression, relatives and interested people come together in the Leipzig Gewandhaus. The German Depressionshilfe Foundation, together with the German Confederation Against Depression and the German Depressions League, is organizing the second edition of the Patient Congress Depression. The event will be moderated by entertainer Harald Schmidt. The patronage has taken over Federal Minister of Health Daniel Bahr.

Depression is and was a common disease
The statistics of the health insurance companies show an increase in sick leave due to depression. For Prof. dr. Ulrich Hegerl, Director of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the University Hospital Leipzig, is not behind any „depression epidemic“, but rather the rather enjoyable fact that more sufferers get professional help and doctors recognize the disease better and name it more correctly. One of the reasons for the fact that the number of suicides in Germany has been reduced from 18,000 per year in the early 1980s to 10,000 today is probably the better care for those with depression.

Work is more often a protective factor than a factor causing depression
The connection between work and depression is less clear than is often claimed. „Depression is less common among working people than other groups of people, and more often among part-time workers than full-time workers. The work is more of a protection for many people“, explains Prof. Hegerl.

Waiting for psychiatric and psychotherapeutic treatment is a big problem
„A problem for a timely and quick help is the too small number of psychotherapists with a cash register“, says Thomas Müller-Rörich, 1st Chairman of the German Depression League and member of the board of the German Depressionshilfe Foundation. „The waiting period for an initial conversation with a psychotherapist is 12.5 weeks on average. Most of the time, another three months pass between the first consultation and the actual start of the treatment“, complains of the 1994 even suffering from a severe depression Müller-Rörich.

Knowledge deficits and prejudices lead to treatment deficits
Factual information and education are important to improve acceptance and understanding in society. The patron of the Foundation German Depressionshilfe and moderator of the congress, entertainer Harald Schmidt, says: „Everywhere one hears and reads about the fact that someone has burnout. By working with the Deutsche Depression Aid Foundation, I know that most people actually suffer from depression. If we call depression depression, it's also a step towards proper treatment and it would have helped a lot. "

Burnout, a purely German-speaking phenomenon?
„Burnout is a fashionable term that has become common in German-speaking countries, and confuses the treatment as well“, explains Prof. Dr. med. Ulrich Hegerl. This can e.g. in Google Trends.

Depression is a disease with a particularly large optimization latitude in the treatment
Every fifth German citizen falls ill with depression once in their lives. In total, approximately four million people in Germany currently suffer from a depression requiring treatment. Although good treatment options are available, less than 10% of sufferers receive optimal and guideline-compliant treatment.

The main program of the 2nd German Patient Congress Depression includes seven lectures dealing with different perspectives of the disease. Self-help groups and regional alliances present themselves in the foyer. In the afternoon, participants can choose between a presentation by bestselling author Dr. Manfred Lütz („Crazy! We treat the wrong ones“) and numerous interactive workshops. In this workshop, specific topics related to the disease are discussed in small groups. „With the 2nd German Patients' Congress Depression we would like to offer the participants an informative and unforgettable congress experience“, emphasizes Priv.-Doz. Dr. Christine Rummel-Kluge, Managing Director of the Foundation German Depressionshilfe.

The Carlsson Wedemeyer Award will be presented as part of the 2nd Patients Congress Depression. This year, he is working on a project of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine of Child and Adolescence at the University Hospital Leipzig, which enables the research of a creative therapeutic and pedagogical outpatient group offer for children and adolescents with a depressive illness. In addition, for the first time the „German media price depression aid“ awarded. In the afternoon, the visitors of the congress will award the winners of the photo contest „Ways out of depression“. (Pm)

Picture: RIKE