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Mental Health Surveillance
Start date
March 2019
End date
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Participants
individuals from the general population in Germany
Main goal
Developing a system for monitoring the mental health of the population
Summary
The Mental Health Surveillance (MHS) was developed to continuously monitor the mental health of the population in Germany. To this end, 'core indicators' have been identified, such as the frequency of depressive or anxiety symptoms. These are collected regularly using survey data and billing data from the health care system. The aim is to get an overall picture of mental health that includes negative aspects such as mental disorders as well as positive factors such as well-being and factors that influence mental health. From 2024 onwards, new data will be collected through the Health in Germany survey.
For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, monthly data were collected on the mental health of the population. This included a survey of depressive and anxiety symptoms, general mental health, loneliness and social support. This data helped to understand the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of the population.
Person responsible for the project: Dr. Julia Thom (thomj@rki.de)
What do we want to achieve?
1
Monitoring the mental health of Germany’s population continuously.
2
Identifying and tracking core indicators such as depression and anxiety symptoms.
3
Utilizing survey data and health insurance billing data to observe mental health trends.
4
Providing a comprehensive view of both mental disorders and positive aspects like well-being and influencing factors.
5
Providing a basis for shaping health policy decisions and public health practices.
6
Incorporating new data through the "Health in Germany" survey starting in 2024.
Results
Negative developments in mental health
Negative developments in the mental health of the population between 2019 and 2023, especially in depressive and anxiety symptoms
Increase of mental disorders
An increase in the frequency of diagnoses of mental disorders between 2012 and 2022, with an increase from 33.4% to 37.9
Mental Health druring COVID-19
Mental health data, collected monthly during the COVID-19 pandemic, showing an increase in depressive and anxiety symptoms and a deterioration in overall mental health.
Keywords
#monitoring of the mental health of the population #public health #public mental health #monitoring #health indicators #survey data #health care data
Further information
Our partners
Progress Mental Health Surveillance
