Are you not feeling well? Do you suffer from a lack of drive, no longer enjoy doing things that you normally enjoy and often feel depressed? Then this could indicate depressive symptoms. You are not alone in this!
Depressive illnesses are among the most common mental disorders and can have varying degrees of impact on life and everyday activities, depending on their severity and course. According to estimates from the Study on the Health of Adults in Germany (2016), around 5.3 million people (8.2%) of the general population suffer from unipolar depression within a year. Unipolar here means that there is a strong disproportionate change in mood towards the negative pole. In the following sections, the terms unipolar depression and depressive disorder are used synonymously. The lifetime prevalence, i.e. the probability of developing a depressive disorder in the course of a lifetime, varies between 20 and 26% for women and between 12 and 16% for men. Women are about twice as likely to develop the disorder as men. But, here is the good news: there are very good treatment options that are constantly being evaluated and improved through ongoing research.
What exactly is a depressive disorder, how does it develop and how does it manifest itself?
Below you will find a selection of information as well as possible help centers and counseling services that you can turn to. On our pages "First aid during your studies", "Stress-free with yoga", "Forum Psychisch fit studieren" and "Sorgenfresserchen", you will find offers that can accompany you through your studies and increase yourWellbeing.
The contents of this page are for information purposes only, not for self-diagnosis. A reliable diagnosis can only be made by specialist staff, such as psychotherapists.
Depression or a depressive disorder is a mental disorder that may only be diagnosed and treated by specialists. The presence of depressive symptoms is not automatically sufficient for a diagnosis.If you get the feeling from reading this that you are affected by depressive symptoms yourself, this does not necessarily mean that you are suffering from depression. Clarification of possible causes by professional specialists (e.g. psychotherapists, psychiatrists, doctors, listed counseling centers) can be helpful here.
Depressive symptoms in the University Health Report 2021
- Approximately 25% (24.4%) of students at RPTU suffer from depressive symptoms.
- Significantly more female (16.9%) than male (14%) students reported depressive symptoms.
- Highest value in the internal comparison of departments: Business Studies and Economics (37.0%).
- Lowest value: Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology (20%)
(Source: University Health Report, 2021)
APA [American Psychiatric Association] (2015). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-5® (2nd corrected edition). Göttingen: Hogrefe.
Hautzinger, M. (2018). Depression. In Margraf, J. & Schneider, S. (Eds.). Textbook of behavior therapy (4th edition). Place: Springer Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-54909-4
ICD -10- GM Version 2021, Systematic Index, International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision, as of September 18, 2020. Place of publication: Cologne.
Jacobi F, Höfler M, Strehle J, Mack S, Gerschler A, Scholl L, Busch MA, Maske U, Hapke U, Gaebel W, Maier W, Wagner M, Zielasek J, Wittchen HU. Erratum to: Mental disorders in the general population. Study on the Health of Adults in Germany and its additional module "Mental Health" (DEGS1-MH) [Erratum to: Mental disorders in the general population. Study on the health of adults in Germany and the additional module mental health (DEGS1-MH)]. Nervenarzt. 2016 Jan;87(1):88-90. doi: 10.1007/s00115-015-4458-7. Erratum for: Nervenarzt. 2014 Jan;85(1):77-87. PMID: 26601984.