Injustice persists as individuals continue to grapple with lasting health impacts.
Researchers have been examining the long-term consequences of past repression and trauma for a period of three years. They collaborated with different groups of individuals, including those labeled as "degraded," who were subject to hepatitis C-infected anti-D prophylaxis, and forced-vaccinated elite athletes.
According to Jörg Frommer from the University of Magdeburg, "our findings demonstrate that the lingering effects of SED injustice continue to inflict severe hardships, not only for former political prisoners."
Those who endured "degradation" measures in the GDR continue to experience intense physical and emotional reactions in stressful situations, as per the report. They display a substantial rate of particular psychological ailments, including anxiety and depression.
The term "degradation" refers to the subtle psychological techniques used by the GDR's state security, which entailed break-ins into private residences, tapping phone calls, and spreading malicious rumors. These methods were implemented to unsettle those deemed unpopular, political dissidents, as well as to instigate confusion and fear.
Formerly vaccinated athletes and athletes forced to undergo injections as minors in the GDR's performance sports system experienced considerably high levels of traumatic stress, as per the researchers. The prevalence of depressive, anxious, and chronic pain disorders in these individuals was "significantly higher" than in the general populace. Just around two percent did not have any psychological issues diagnosed in their lives.
Similarly, those exposed to hepatitis C-contaminated syringes during an anti-D immunoprophylaxis procedure in 1978 and 1979 continue to grapple with "persistent frustration, despair, mistrust of government entities, and social isolation." It is estimated that around 6,800 women in the GDR were infected with hepatitis C as a result of the contaminated serum, and they inadvertently transmitted the virus to an unspecified number of children and partners.
Georg Schomerus, a psychiatry professor at the University of Leipzig, stated that many of these individuals "still undergo exclusion, frequently attributed to the burdensome bureaucratic structures they navigate." Accessing social and healthcare services was particularly challenging for those affected by SED injustice. Schomerus insisted on "heightened awareness of the needs of this group."
