Family day clinic in Wittenberg: Hope for mentally ill!

Family day clinic in Wittenberg: Hope for mentally ill!

In the Lutherstadt Wittenberg, planning a family daily clinic for mentally ill people is currently being promoted, which is to be put into operation by 2026. This facility, which will offer space for eight families at the same time, represents an important step in improving mental health care in Saxony-Anhalt.

The new building of the clinic is realized with the support of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, which provides 3.6 million euros for this. The decision for the funding was recently handed over, in line with the “World Day of Mental Health”. Minister of Health Petra Grimm-Benne (SPD) stated that mental and psychiatric diseases are still a taboo subject in many cases, and emphasized the need to create special protective measures for children and their families.

supply gap is to be concluded

With the new building, the aim is to close the existing supply gap in the Wittenberg region. According to the Bosse Clinic, psychiatric treatments should be carried out in a protected framework, which could offer essential support for affected parents and children. The need for such facilities is evident, since similar offers are previously missing in Wittenberg.

A study by the General Local Hospital (AOK) shows that in 2022 244,000 people suffered from depression from the age of ten. This corresponds to about 12.2 percent of the population in the region, while the nationwide average is 12.5 percent. These terrifying numbers illustrate the urgency to create new treatment options for mentally ill patients.

Daily clinic also in Gardelegen

Another important step in mental care is the daily clinic in Gardelegen opened in August 2024. This facility was converted and renovated from the former children's clinic to make room for 20 adult patients suffering from depression or anxiety disorders. This is part of a larger offer that can already be found in other cities such as Salzwedel, Seehausen and Stendal.

Another increase in mental illnesses has been observed in recent years, especially during corona pandemic. The AOK research area has evaluated the data of around 21 million cash members and found that a significant increase in mental illnesses, especially among young people between 10 and 24 years and in older people over the age of 65, has been recorded.

This development ensures growing awareness in society for the need to take mental health seriously and to provide the necessary resources. The "World Day of Mental Health", launched by the World Health Organization (WHO), aims to focus on the topic of mental health and to raise public awareness.

The measures in Saxony-Anhalt are an example of how state support and social sensitization should go hand in hand in order to create the necessary infrastructure for the help of mentally ill people and their families. The developments in Wittenberg and Gardelegen show that politics reacts to increasing demand and is working on improving the supply situation.

for further information on this topic and the developments of mental health care in Saxony-Anhalt, See the current report on www.tagesschau.de .