Sharp increase in depression in Brandenburg

The KKH Kaufmännische Krankenkasse records an above-average increase in patients with depression in Brandenburg. The number of recurring depressions alone has increased by almost 80 percent within ten years until 2021, the KKH announced in Potsdam on Monday. In the Germany-far comparison Brandenburg ranks thereby in the upper third. Nationwide, their number increased accordingly by about 70 percent.

With depressive episodes, thus shorter unique depressive phases, the KKH registers an increase of 31 per cent in the same period. Here, too, Brandenburg is above the German average of around 20 percent. According to the study, 17 percent of women and seven percent of men in Brandenburg now suffer from depression.

According to the data, these are among the most common mental illnesses. Triggers could be among other things loss experiences and fears by political, social and private crises. The Corona crisis is so far still restrained in the KKH analysis on depression, it said. From the pre-pandemic year 2019 to 2021, the KKH in Brandenburg only recorded a slight increase of just under seven percent for recurrent depression.

Lockdowns have led to massive cuts in the care of mentally ill people and to a loss of everyday structure, which is particularly important for such patients, the report added. However, it is still too early to comprehensively evaluate the development in the Corona crisis.

Image by Ulrike Mai