Doctors are unanimous

“Depression is a wake-up call to change your life”

Mental problems are not shameful and are not a sign of weakness. Talking about it is a relief and helps those affected to regain their self-efficacy.(Bild: WavebreakmediaMicro - stock.adobe.com)

October 10 is World Mental Health Day. In Austria, 1.3 to 1.8 million people currently suffer from a mental illness. Around 240,000 to 900,000 are depressed. Around half of them do not make it out of the crisis. But there is hope for each individual.

Last year, 1,212 people died by suicide in Austria. That is three times as many as died in road traffic accidents. The highest five-year average suicide rates were recorded in Carinthia and Styria. They are lowest in Vienna and Burgenland. However, this positive trend in this country only appears positive at first glance, says psychiatrist and psychotherapist Gerhard Miksch from Stadtschlaining.