Mental illness in Germany can no longer be the dwarf that sits low and escapes the public eye. If the current pieces of reports in news are to be believed then mental illness in Germany beckons immediate answers without much delay from doctors and experts in the area.
The concern surrounding mental illness in Germany is so sensitive and real at the moment that it appears that 1 in 4 children suffers from some form of mental illnesses or concern.
That’s no random statistic. Move over the pieces of reports surrounding the plunging economic realities of what was once clearly Europe’s powerhouse- there’s another concern that can no longer be overlooked or denied!
No longer can one simply clap in admiration of a pro-youth stance in saying that the future of a country rests in the talents and capabilities of its youth and actually not do anything about it when matters become serious. For right now, Germany needs a serious answer.
Many of its youth quite simply, end up spending days in the hospital or some form of a medical facility, with the average stays for those afflicted with mental health concerns, going up to even 40 days.
The above data was furnished by a local German health insurer that has tried to raise a voice of concern.
Children insured by noted German insurer DAK were part of an exhaustive study that underlined the rising spate of mental illness(es) in Germany. Apparently, DAK’s study covered no fewer than 8,00,000 children whom it insured in 2016 and 2017.
At a time where much of medical science’s focus rests in the area of finding amicable and sustainable solutions toward serious, grave ailments concerning vital organs, it appears that no longer can the mind escape serious introspection and detailed study.
Data from local news outlet DW.com was of the following view:
The data indicated that 24% of children display psychological anomalies. Just under 2% of children between the ages of 10 and 17 are diagnosed with depression and 2.2% with an anxiety disorder.
According to DAK, extrapolating their patient data onto Germany’s total population of 10- to 17-year-olds would mean a total of 238,000 children suffering from these conditions.
The data also showed that the rate of child depression was up 5% in 2017 from the year before.
Mental illness ranks fifth among common child illnesses, behind respiratory illnesses, infections, and eye and skin problems. Depression only makes up a small share of mental illnesses, with developmental and behavioral conditions accounting for the bulk of this category.
But what was revealed in the data pertaining to 2017 was far more serious and goes to prove why mental illness in Germany is a serious concern staring the country in the eye.
It appears that as many as 17 per cent of the young patients in Germany were already prescribed anti-depressive medication, back in 2017. Moreover, around 8 percent of those who were affected checked into a clinic, with the average span of stay lasting 39 days.
But what’s distressing is the observation made by DAK’s President- Mr. Andreas Storm-
“Clearly we have gaps in treatment following hospital stays that we urgently need to close. A rehospitalization rate of 24% is alarming.”
Mr. Storm went on to add, “certain school children have a higher risk for depression. These children often suffer quietly before they receive an appropriate diagnosis. We all have to pay more attention.”