More and more people with mental illness

World Day of Mental Health: More and more people are suffering from mental illness

10/10/2012

Due to the increasing stress in the job, the often difficult to reconcile work and family as well as the constant accessibility by email and mobile phone, it is difficult for many people to create space and turn off. The result is rising numbers and costs due to mental illness. Also more and more children are affected. On the International World Day of Mental Health the Lebenshilfe Göppingen and the association "Viaduct - Aid for the mentally ill" explain the topic of mental health.

More and more people suffer from mental illness
The number of mentally ill patients is steadily increasing in Germany. Frequent job changes, constant accessibility and an inopportune level of flexibility lead to more and more people suffering from illnesses such as depression or burnout.

As early as June, the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) described the further increase in absenteeism at work due to mental disorders as worrying in the context of the presentation of its 2011 health report. Thus, the number of medical diagnoses has increased, as in the years before also in the last year. From 2010 to 2011, about 6.3 percent more days lost in workforce were recorded. Since 2006, the proportion of mental absences even increased by 61 percent.

The Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists had previously pointed to an increase in sick leave due to mental suffering. The chamber said more and more people were suffering from burnout syndrome. In many cases, people would no longer be able to cope with the increasing workload, overtime hours, unsafe working conditions and bullying.

Even children and adolescents affected by mental illness
Meanwhile, more and more children and adolescents are affected by mental illness. Often the high school stress but also leisure stress are given as causes. Recently, the Bundesjugendring had pointed to the disproportionate academic demands for less time off of children and therefore the „35-hour week“ required for children.

Lebenshilfe Göppingen and the association "Viaduct - Aid for the mentally ill" want to create a broad public for the topic on the International Day of Mental Health. The film "Vincent will meer" will be shown in the Staufen movieplex in Göppingen. In Geislingen there should be a colorful afternoon on Thursday in the „Café Wunderbar. "Organizers are viaduct, the bright spot and the social psychiatric service of the district.