The avoidable death
Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.
More posts by Christiane Fux All content is checked by medical journalists.In Germany around 10,000 people take their own lives every year - that is more than from traffic accidents, acts of violence and HIV combined. A whole small town, wiped out by its own hand. What to do?
“Suicide can be a person's free decision if it is made in full consciousness and with full decision-making ability. But in 90 percent of the cases, a mental illness is behind the desire to end one's life, ”says Dr. Iris Hauth, President of the German Society for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Neurology (DGPPN).
Disease symptom of hopelessness
The majority of suicidal people are depressed. Others suffer from schizophrenia, are addicts, or have borderline disorders. The hopelessness that drives the mentally ill to death is tragically part of a clinical picture that can often be treated well.“In my 30 years of experience, I have never seen a case that we couldn't get out of his depression,” says Hauth. This means that most suicides can be prevented if the desperate people get help in time.
Four months waiting time
But that is not always the case: There is a huge gap in the care of mentally ill people in Germany. For example, depressives have to wait an average of more than four months for a place on therapy - despite the high level of suffering associated with the disease. This was the result of the Bertelmann Stiftung's “Depression Fact Check” in 2014.
“We have 30,000 psychiatrists and psychotherapists in Germany. But especially in the peripheral areas, we have a clear undersupply, ”reports Hauth. In the big cities, the situation is better, but the placement is difficult and the waiting times are often long.
“The sick suffer massively during this time. And if left untreated, depression tends to get worse and become chronic, ”says the psychiatrist. Every fifth patient with severe depression is currently receiving no therapy at all. Such conditions would not be tolerated in people with severe physical illnesses such as cancer.
Underestimated suffering
The problem is: Mental illnesses remain a mystery to those who are not affected and are therefore underestimated. “In the case of a serious physical illness, everyone can understand the associated suffering. But that is not the case with a head-only depression, ”explains Hauth. But precisely because mental illnesses affect thinking and feeling, the level of suffering is enormous. Depression, for example, plagues the sick every waking minute, it cannot be hidden.
Just as acute as a broken leg
"Mental illnesses can also be acute and require immediate help," explains Hauth. Anyone who is in great emotional distress should not wait and hope that it will get better on its own. The psychiatrist emphasizes: "Just as you drive to the emergency room if you have a broken leg, you should also go to a psychiatric clinic in the event of an acute mental emergency."
Here, the relatives are also in demand - because the patient himself is not necessarily able to recognize the seriousness of the situation or does not have the strength to get help. Vigilance at the right moment can even save lives. Namely when the patient is actually thinking of ending his life. Dr. Iris Hauth in the interview: “Talk about suicide openly!”.
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