Georg Knufmann from the Diakonie in Ebersberg speaks about psychological crises and the corona pandemic.
Because mental disorders can affect anyone.
Ebersberg - Many people suffered mentally from the corona pandemic.
At the end of the Mental Health Week, we asked Georg Knufmann, Head of the Social Psychiatric Services Ebersberg (SPDi), about the state of mental health in the district.
Mr. Knufmann, the end of the corona restrictions seems to be in sight.
Is everything back to psychiatric work as it was before the pandemic?
No.
In individual work, the easing suits us very much, but in group work we still have strict restrictions.
More than in restaurants or clubs, for example, a distance of 1.5 meters applies.
We either have to work in smaller groups or use the digital expansion to create hybrid groups and connect clients from home.
With the relaxation, have the requests for psychiatric help decreased?
Overall, the need has increased.
It has been shown: Many clients' crises were not so much the result of fear of Corona, but rather of loneliness and loss of contact.
What forms of psychological stress have increased?
Because of loneliness, depressive behavior and anxiety situations have increased significantly.
Likewise obsessive-compulsive disorder and obviously eating disorders.
Nothing has changed in the symptoms.
How is it with the subject of addiction?
The addiction problem has increased a bit since Corona, even among those who had a drug problem before that.
Tobacco and alcohol have tended to increase, but there are different voices.
Cannabis has increased significantly because it is easily accessible.
Hard drugs have also increased, as has drug addiction.
However, many also used the Internet more during Corona and developed an online addiction: the loss of reality in virtual realities.
Which mental illnesses are the permanent construction sites?
The largest proportion are people with mood disorders, especially depression.
This has been our main clientele in every age group for many years.
Anxiety disorders are also often underestimated.
Which section of the population struggles most with mental disorders?
Every.
Mental illness is a general life risk of 60 to 85 percent.
From the cradle to the grave, it is likely to have suffered at least once from a mental illness that requires treatment or advice.
It goes through all population groups, educational groups and income groups.
However, the more social and financial need there is, the more it increases the risk of mental illness and reduces the possibility of seeking help.
Ebersberg does not differ significantly from the city of Munich, other capital city centers or districts.
How is this social and financial need expressed?
There are, for example, single parents who say: “I can't go any further”, who may be sent to us by the gynecologist, where we then have one-on-one interviews.
Those who simply have an exhaustion syndrome because they are overwhelmed, have fear of the future, go through depressive situations, are often angry and are both physically and nervously exhausted.
We then help them, for example, by organizing discussion groups for mentally ill and stressed parents who have the same problem.
So they have the feeling that they are not alone and not the ones who can't make it, but that this is currently a special overload situation.
How do people know that they need help?
When they don't know what to do next.
That can be at any point in time.
We also have 20 to 30 percent of relatives who don't know what to do and who contact us.
Anyone can call our counseling center free of charge for a clarification appointment.
The other is the psychiatric crisis service.
90 percent of all inquiries can be dealt with through good telephone advice or mediation.
You need help?
You can contact these offices:
You can get advice by phone from the Social Psychiatric Services Ebersberg on Tel. (0 80 92) 853 38-0.
The Upper Bavaria crisis service can be reached around the clock on (08 00) 655 30 00.
You can read more news from the Ebersberg region here.
By the way: Everything from the region is also available in our regular Ebersberg newsletter.
