Currently, 31 percent of the population in Germany is affected by some form of mental illness. The same number of people are also affected in China and Thailand.
In the United States, up to 40 percent of the population suffers from some form of illness such as depression, anxiety or eating disorders. This is the result of a survey conducted by the international public opinion polling institute Ipsos.
The research was commissioned by the German insurance company AXA, and the results were published in the Mental Health Report 2024.
The research surveyed 1000 people from each of 16 countries in Europe, Asia and North America about their mental health. Compared to 2023, it is noted that in most countries the situation has worsened in 2024. In France, Ireland and Mexico, the number of people with mental illness increased by six to seven percent. In Turkey, up to eight percent. Only in the Philippines in 2024 there are fewer patients than a year earlier.
In addition, mental health appears to be a generational issue. Young people aged 18 to 34 are particularly likely to report suffering from some form of mental illness. In Ireland, Turkey and the US, young people aged 18 to 24 are most affected. However, in the 25-34 age group, the US and Turkey lead the way in terms of the number of people with mental illness.
Young people most at risk
According to this report, 43 percent of all respondents between the ages of 18 and 24 stated that they have mental problems. The most common diseases are depression, from which 22 percent of respondents suffer, followed by anxiety, phobias or post-traumatic stress disorder, from which 22 percent of respondents also suffer.
The older the respondents, the less common mental illness. Only 14 percent of respondents aged 65 to 75 stated that they suffer from any disorder such as depression, phobias and the like.
But there are differences not only with regard to age, but also with gender. Women report having mental health problems more often than men. This is said in 16 countries. Here even younger women are affected more often than older women.
How diseases are confirmed
The research also explains how the interviewees arrive at the knowledge of being affected by such diseases. In Germany, the vast majority (57 percent) received a diagnosis from a psychologist or psychiatrist. About 17 percent received such a diagnosis from their general practitioner.
The number of Germans who have concluded that they suffer from such illnesses through personal research, such as via the Internet, is 16 percent. In other countries, this percentage is significantly higher. In the Philippines, 60 percent of respondents concluded that they suffer from mental illness through the Internet, while in Turkey, 36 percent.
This research clearly shows how important professional help is in the event of such an illness. The majority of respondents in Germany (57 percent) say that, thanks to professional help, they have successfully recovered from the illness.
But even in Germany, the number of respondents (24 percent) who do not accept professional treatment from psychologists or psychiatrists is high. Only in Japan more people (25 percent) do not accept professional help in case of any mental illness.
According to the German Association for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Treatment of Nervous Diseases (DGPPN), “mental illnesses in Germany are among the four most important causes for the loss of healthy years of life. People with mental illness live on average ten years less than the rest of the population"./DW
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