Mental health care

Mental health care consists of psychological measures and conscious action with the aim of preventively avoiding severe mental illnesses or reducing the risk of such illnesses occurring for the individual and thus the entire population. As early as 1986, the World Health Organization introduced the Ottawa Charter for the Promotion of Health , which aims to promote the well-being of the individual by promoting health.

Prevention

The prevention of mental illnesses should help early on illnesses such as burnout , depression or the like. prevent or counteract deterioration in the early stages. The likelihood that the disease can be cured or reduced is most promising, especially in the early stages. The prevention of mental illnesses also leads to an increase in life expectancy. Mental health prevention programs exist for both children, adolescents and adults. There is a great variety and differences in individual prevention programs. Various health insurances promote prevention courses in the areas of stress and time management (including to avoid burnout, depression), nutrition (including to avoid various eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia or obesity) and pregnancy courses (including to avoid postnatal depression or postpartum depression) .

According to Section 20 (1) of Book Five of the Social Security Code, health insurance companies are obliged to include primary prevention in their statutes. In addition, the health insurance companies must also support occupational health care .

Occupational health care

Mental illness is the third leading cause of sick leave, especially among those under the age of 30. The prevention of mental illness is therefore both individually and economically important, such as cancer screening.

In companies, preventive health care for employees is important, since high costs arise every year due to mental illnesses of employees. The new report of the BPTK 2012 shows that the number of burnout sufferers has increased by more than 1,400% since 2004. In addition, in 2011 100 insured employees generated 200 days of absence due to mental illness.

The expenditures of the health insurances for company health promotion have increased steadily in the last few years. In 2011, 7% more was invested in occupational health care. Converted to an individual insured person, the costs are 4.33 euros. The rise in mental illnesses, the demographic aging process in society and the increasing demands placed on employees make it necessary to step up preventive measures in order to contain further illnesses.

Individual provision / Internet

Prevention programs can be carried out in an inpatient setting using the setting approach, or via the Internet. Health insurance companies as well as some portals and website operators offer suitable and individual prevention programs for this. With the setting approach, which is also promoted by health insurance companies, prevention programs are transferred to the living space on an inpatient basis. These include, for example, municipalities, districts, kindergartens, schools, retirement homes, migrant meeting places, etc.

Prevention programs are also offered at the state level. For example, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia represents the prevention program for the mental health of children and adolescents with the state initiative in order to curb the increase in mental illnesses in the future.

Current developments

Some physical illnesses can be prevented through a healthy diet and exercise. Preventive checks, etc. a. in the areas of cardiovascular, dentist, gynecology and cancer, help to recognize a deterioration in health in good time. Mental health should also be examined in a preventive check, not least because of its immense effects on physical well-being. According to a study, almost 40% of all Europeans consciously or unconsciously suffer from mental disorders. The number of mental illnesses in Europe has risen sharply in recent years, while the care of the sick has deteriorated. A study shows that 35% of those affected often wait more than 3 months for a therapy place, as the workload of psychological psychotherapists is very high, especially in large cities. In addition, the psychosocial supply situation with regard to psychotherapy places, psychotherapeutic education and other offers in the psychological field is inadequate or inadequate in many areas throughout Germany.

The federal government has the new 1 January 2012 SHI care structure law adopted, which will complete a needs-based medical care at the federal level. Due to the long waiting times for a place in psychotherapy in Germany, prevention contributes to the fact that fewer patients develop mental illnesses.

See also

• Mental health of children and adolescents in Germany

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• DAK health report 2012
• Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists
• BV prevention
• psycheplus facts
• Prevention concept NRW
• Association of German Psychologists

Individual evidence

1. ^ AOK Prevention website accessed on June 15, 2012.
2. ↑ Becker, Peter: Prevention and Health Promotion, in: Health Psychology. A textbook, ed. v. Ralf Schwarzer, Göttingen, Hogrefe Verlag 1997, p. 517 ff.
3. ^ Spiegel Online website, accessed June 10, 2012.
4. ↑ Nachrichten.net website accessed June 10, 2012.
5. ↑ BPtK website accessed on 15 June 2012 found.
6. ^ GKV Spitzenverband ( Memento of the original from April 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Website accessed June 15, 2012. 
7. ^ GKV Spitzenverband ( Memento of the original from April 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ibid. 
8. ^ Prevention concept website accessed on June 15, 2012.
9. ^ Spiegel Online website, accessed June 10, 2012.
10. ↑ Focus Online website, accessed June 10, 2012.