Mental problems at Christmas: Help around the clock in Upper Bavaria

Created: 12/24/2022, 11:12 am

By: Sandra Hefft

For some, the holidays can be an emotional challenge.

The Crisis Service Psychiatry Upper Bavaria offers help.

(Iconic image) © Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa

District – What should actually be contemplative can become a mental challenge for some: the holidays.

The crisis service Psychiatry Upper Bavaria promises help.

Hope, confidence, a happy and atmospheric wait for Christmas, which everyone celebrates festively and contemplatively: "More than ever, this is a great challenge: because the Ukraine war, the energy crisis, rising prices and the emotional consequences of the pandemic are affecting many people," explains the Crisis Service Psychiatry Upper Bavaria.

This supports people who get into a mental emergency during the holidays.

The control center can be reached around the clock on 0800/6553000;

the mobile teams are also on call 24/7.

"Fear, loneliness, mental and physical health consequences as well as personal losses are currently omnipresent," says Petra Brandmaier, medical director of the crisis service control center.

Brandmaier therefore appeals to everyone who gets into a crisis: "Call us, share your distress and your suffering with us - together with you we will look for ways out of the current crisis situation." Because: "Whoever accepts help shows strength and self-care.

This is the first step in overcoming the crisis.”

The Crisis Service Psychiatry Upper Bavaria is available around the clock to people in mental distress on the public holidays.

The employees also have an open ear for relatives and people from the social environment of people under stress.

"The statistics of the crisis service shows that mental crises can occur more frequently at Christmas and between the years," says the press release.

In December 2021, the control center had 2588 telephone contacts - one of the highest values ​​​​over the course of the year.

The callers mostly sought support because of family conflicts, loneliness, fears and exhaustion.

On-site help too

The sorting conversation on the phone often relieves the strain.

If this is not sufficient, the crisis service can offer further help.

"In acute emergencies, mobile teams carry out home visits to stabilize those affected," it said.

These mobile emergency services exist in all Upper Bavarian districts.

They are on call 24/7 every day, including public holidays.

As the crisis service area coordinator, Anna Moosheimer is responsible for the mobile teams in the districts of Weilheim-Schongau, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Miesbach, Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen and Landsberg am Lech.

She explains: "Anxiety about the future as well as everyday stresses can become so acute at any age that telephone advice or crisis intervention does not lead to the desired success." For these cases - especially over the holidays and the turn of the year - the mobile crisis service teams are in on-call duty.

"Our employees support people in mental distress, they take their worries and fears seriously and provide them with appropriate help or advice," says Moosheimer.

"We want to provide support and help to find good ways out of the crisis together."

Preventing crises: what can I do?

The Psychiatry Crisis Service in Upper Bavaria provides specific tips on how to prevent crises: “Move around and get some fresh air.

It's best to go for a walk for at least 30 minutes, firmly integrated into your daily routine," advise the experts.

It is also important to pay attention to your own energy balance: "Do something good for yourself," advises the crisis service.

A good meal or a relaxing bath could be beneficial, for example.

Meetings or phone calls with friends and family can also help.

Important: "Discuss topics beyond Ukraine or the energy crisis and take a break from the news," advise the experts.

If it is no longer possible with your own resources: "Please contact expert help providers such as the Psychiatry Crisis Service at an early stage," he explains.