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New study Every fourth child in Bavaria with mental health problems
Bavaria's Health Minister Melanie Huml presented on Wednesday in Munich the first report on mental health in children and adolescents in the Free State. According to this, every fourth adolescent in Bavaria is affected by mental health problems; in 2014 alone, more than 80,000 children were diagnosed with ADHD. According to Huml, the increase in treatments is also linked to a change in awareness and expanded treatment options.
Comprehensive information on the mental health of young people
In Munich, the first documentation on mental health in children and adolescents was presented on Wednesday, in which for the first time the most common clinical pictures were illuminated and extensive data from different sources was bundled. According to the Bavarian Ministry of Health and Nursing, this report is unique in Germany. It also contains information on local counseling and care services for those affected, and also focuses on groups of vulnerable groups at risk. "We now have a comprehensive information base on the mental health of children and adolescents in Bavaria," said Bavaria's Health Minister Melanie Huml, according to a statement from the Ministry.
A new report shows that the number of treatments due to mental disorders in children and adolescents has risen sharply in Bavaria. (Image: pololia / fotolia.com) Mental illness should not be taboo
This was also the main topic of health policy this year, the Minister continued. The aim is to ensure that people affected are helped at an early age, "therefore mental illnesses must not be taboo," said Melanie Huml on the occasion of the presentation of the report. Among other things, this includes data from the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians of Bavaria (KVB), according to which in the second half of 2014 there were approximately 470,000 children and adolescents nationwide diagnosed with a mental disorder. This is equivalent to a quarter of young people under 18 in Bavaria. The data apply to the approximately 90 percent of adolescents in the Free State, who are in the statutory health insurance, according to the information of the Ministry.
However, these "disturbances" are not always dramatic, Huml emphasized to the "dpa". Because this would also developmental disorders such. Impairments of speech and language or learning and reading difficulties are counted. Often, those affected would need "just support", according to the politician. However, the debate about what is "normal" and where a mental disorder begins is often very emotionally charged in public. Therefore, the report should also contribute to the objectification of the discussion, said Huml.
Infants often affected by developmental disorders
As the report shows, developmental disorders are the most common diagnosis among infants and preschoolers. Between the ages of 7 and 14, behavioral disorders and emotional disorders become increasingly important, with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) accounting for half of the cases accounts. In total, more than 80,000 adolescents in Bavaria were affected in 2014, boys three times as often as girls. An accumulation of diagnoses and ordinances was found in the regional comparison in Würzburg. According to the authors, "this could mean on the one hand that an existing supply requirement is better fulfilled than in other regions". On the other hand, however, the accumulation may also indicate that in the region the presence of a disorder and its treatment are assessed differently by physicians.
Between the ages of 15 and 17, depression is also a factor. In 2014, more than 14,000 young people had this diagnosis, which was made by the pediatrician or family doctor in half of the cases, according to the study. A good 3,000 children and adolescents under the age of 20 had to be hospitalized as a result of depression. About 10,500 adolescents were treated for an eating disorder, and in around 1,000 cases inpatient care was necessary. According to the report, girls are particularly affected by this disturbance picture, of whom almost one-half feel something or even too fat already from the age of 13 years.
Teenagers smoke and drink less
On the other hand, excessive consumption of alcohol among adolescents has declined significantly in recent years. According to the report, the number of hospital admissions for alcohol poisoning has been reduced and the proportion of abstinent adolescents is rising. Nonetheless, "8.1% of ninth and tenth graders have a risky alcohol intake and 0.6% have high levels of consumption." Boys show a "riskier consumption pattern" than girls.
Tobacco use is also declining. For example, between 2003 and 2015, the proportion of 15- and 16-year-olds who have already gained experience in smoking fell from 77 to 55 percent. About 15% of adolescents at this age smoke according to the information daily, with the smokers shares with decreasing education levels are getting higher. By contrast, cannabis consumption has increased slightly, with ten percent of twelve to 18-year-olds indicating that they had already had experience.
Social attention has risen
All in all, the report shows that the number of treatments due to mental disorders has risen sharply in recent years - but a changed consciousness probably also plays an important role here. "This is partly due to the fact that the social attention for this topic has increased significantly and also the treatment offers could be extended. This is positive because it helps to further destigmatize mental illness, "says Huml, according to the ministry's announcement. (No)