Mental health

Many of us have experienced stressful situations or are currently experiencing stress, fear, violence or helplessness. Be it in our country of origin, on the run or here in Germany. Coming to terms with these experiences and feelings is not easy for anyone. It is completely normal for us to feel exhausted, tense or not like ourselves. However, it is important that we take good care of ourselves. And - if necessary - seek help to process our experiences and possible traumas.

Here you can find out where you can get psychosocial support for yourself or others.

What do I need to know?

I'm not feeling well. Who can help me?

It is completely normal if you are not feeling well after a bad experience or are stressed about current problems and need help. You can get support both online and over the phone in many languages.

At ipso-care, you can seek advice from experienced counselors online, anonymously and free of charge. The staff speak German, English, French, Turkish, Russian, Ukrainian, Somali, Italian, Farsi, Dari, Arabic, Tigrinja, Pashto and Burmese. Counseling is free of charge.
If you need acute help, you can contact the telephone pastoral care service in German on 0800 / 111 0 111. You can reach the "Muslim pastoral care hotline" in Arabic, Turkish and Urdu on 030 44 35 09 821. And you can reach the Russian-speaking pastoral care hotline on +49 30 44 03 08 454. The staff on all three hotlines are available 24 hours a day. Counseling is free of charge. You can also contact a clinic with a psychiatric department. You can find a clinic with a psychiatric emergency department near you at psychenet.de.
Refugee-trauma.help provides information on dealing with trauma in Arabic, German, English, Farsi, Spanish, Tigrinya and Ukrainian. You can find out what trauma is and how the body can react to trauma. The site also provides tips and special exercises for treating trauma.
So-called "self-help groups" are also helpful for many people. In a self-help group, you meet with other people who have experienced similar things. The group is led by a therapist. On nakos.de you can search for a self-help group in your area in German. There are also groups in other languages.

I just need someone to talk to. Where can I go?

If you just need someone to talk to, you can talk to the staff at virtualsupporttalks.de about your worries. The volunteers will listen to you. They speak German, English, Ukrainian and Russian. You can contact them by email. The staff will then call you back within 24 hours. The service is free of charge.

You can also contact the telephone counseling service. You can reach the "Muslim pastoral care hotline" 24 hours a day on 030 / 44 35 09 821. The staff speak Turkish, Arabic and Urdu. You can reach the staff of "Telefon Doweria" in Russian 24 hours a day on 030 / 44 03 08 454. The call is free of charge. The call may cost some money. You can reach the staff of the German-speaking telephone counseling service 24 hours a day on 0800 / 111 0 111 or at telefonseelsorge.de. The staff speak German. The conversation and the call are free of charge.

I would like to help someone else who is not feeling well. What do I need to do?

In principle, anyone can help by listening and being there. However, it is better if you inform yourself beforehand.

At IOM you will find a "Guide to Psychological First Aid" in German, English, Ukrainian and Russian. Among other things, you will find important advice on how to deal with traumatized people and tips on correct body language.
On mhfa-ersthelfer.de you will find 20 tips in German, English, Russian and Ukrainian for people who care for refugees. Even if you are a refugee yourself, this information can help you when dealing with others.
On the Refugio Munich website, you will find information in German on how you can best help while also taking sufficient care of yourself.
At the "Bundesweite Arbeitsgemeinschaft für psychosozialen Zentren für Flüchtlinge und Folteropfer" you will find a comprehensive practical guide in German on how to deal with traumatized people.
You can also take part in events organized by the "Razom - United at Ipso" project. You can register for various webinars at ipsocontext.org. Among other things, the webinars deal with self-care and dealing with trauma and the consequences of trauma.

What is trauma?

Trauma is an emotional or psychological injury. Like our body, our psyche can also be injured by certain events. Typical events that can result in trauma include violent crimes, natural disasters, war, flight, torture, physical or psychological violence, sexualized violence, serious traffic accidents, threats of violence, the death of a loved one and serious illness.

The event is very stressful for the person affected, who feels overwhelmed, afraid and helpless. These reactions and feelings can also last longer. This can lead to restlessness, sleep disorders, trembling, sweating, nausea, dizziness, shortness of breath, difficulty concentrating, feelings of guilt, depression, anger, fear, etc. Many people who have experienced bad things cannot stop thinking about them. It is also normal for parts of the memory of the experience to be missing or for certain details to be remembered too clearly.

How long does a trauma last?

The unpleasant reactions often subside after just a few hours or days. This happens especially if the traumatic situation only lasted a short time and the person is able to process the traumatic event well.

However, if the person is unable to cope with the traumatic situation and receives no outside support, trauma can lead to mental illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, addiction, anxiety disorders, etc. Only doctors can reliably determine whether you are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. However, there are a few clues that may indicate this. You can take a short self-test in German at psychenet.de.

If you continue to suffer from the consequences long after the traumatic situation, treatment by a psychiatrist is recommended. Most therapies can take place on an outpatient basis, i.e. you can continue to live at home and have an appointment at a practice once or twice a week. You can find out more in the sections "What therapies are available?" and "How do I find a suitable therapy".

How do I recognize trauma in a child and how can I help?

If a child has experienced a stressful situation and has not come to terms with it, some of the following symptoms will usually still be evident weeks after the event:

The child is afraid of being separated from their parents or being alone.
The child cries or trembles for no apparent reason.
The child is often unresponsive.
The child is not developing according to his/her age.
The child is very anxious.
The child avoids other children.
The child often seems sad or depressed.
The child is very jumpy.
The child is very restless.
The child is often aggressive.

The most important thing now is to give your child a sense of security. The daily routine should be manageable and clearly structured. Rituals help with this. You and other family members or close friends should spend time with the child as often as possible. Avoid situations that place additional stress on the child.

Please note: If the child displays many of the above symptoms over a longer period of time, they will need professional help. You can find out more about this in the section "How do I find a suitable therapy?".

What therapies are available?

There are a variety of therapies for people suffering from trauma. What all therapies have in common is that those affected have to deal with the traumatic experiences in order to process them. One of the following therapy methods is usually used for post-traumatic stress disorder:

PE therapy (Prolonged Exposure Therapy): In this form of therapy, sufferers think back to the traumatic event during the therapy session. They relive the trauma. The therapy session is recorded on tape and those affected should listen to this tape every day at home. This reduces the emotional reactions and psychological symptoms.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CPT): This therapy is primarily about working on so-called "thinking errors". Many sufferers blame themselves for what they have experienced or are ashamed of it. In CPT, those affected write down what they have experienced. The aim of the therapy is to change their own assessment of the experience.
EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing): In EMDR therapy, the affected person performs jerky eye movements under guidance while thinking back to the traumatic situation. This helps to process the experience.
NET therapy (Narrative Exposure Therapy): Here, the affected person tells their entire life story, discussing the traumas they have experienced in particular detail. In this way, the traumatic events can be better categorized and processed.
BEPP (Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy for PTSD): BEPP is a very diverse form of therapy that combines various elements. Those affected deal with their experiences with the help of conversations, writing tasks and other methods.

In addition, creative approaches such as art therapy, music therapy, movement therapy, occupational therapy or relaxation techniques (e.g. yoga) are often included in the therapy.

In addition to these and other forms of therapy, doctors can also prescribe medication such as antidepressants, etc.

Those affected also receive support in everyday life during therapy, e.g. with professional integration or problems in the family.

How do I find a suitable therapy?

There are many different therapists and forms of therapy. It is best to talk to your GP practice first. There you can ask for support in finding the right therapy.

On psych-info.de you can search for therapists for adults and children & adolescents in your area and in your language. You can also filter by many other things, e.g. the type of therapy or whether the costs can be covered by health insurance. The search only works in German. If you cannot find any results for your federal state there, you can search for your federal state on bptk.de. As soon as you click on your federal state, you will be redirected to a page where you can continue the "therapist search".

You can also get help in German from the staff at psychotherapiesuche.de by calling 030 / 2 09 16 63 30. All you have to do is tell them where you live and what you would like from the therapy. The staff will then help you to find the right therapy in your area and in your language. Counseling is free of charge.

Many people find it more comfortable to have therapy in their native language. If you cannot find a therapist in your language, you can also seek the help of an interpreter. If you do not earn any money yourself, the social welfare office or job center can cover the costs of the interpreters. You must submit an application for this. Seek advice from an advice center. You can find advice and support from the Refugee Council or Pro Asyl, for example. You can find the refugee council responsible for you at fluechtlingsrat.de. You can contact Pro Asyl at [email protected] in English and German. You can also search for a counseling center near you on proasyl.de or our Local Search search engine.

Who pays for therapy?

That depends on whether you are already a member of a health insurance fund or not:

I am a regular member of a health insurance fund: as a rule, your health insurance will also pay for therapy. However, if you are a member of a statutory health insurance company, you must make sure that your therapist has a so-called "Kassenzulassung". In order to start therapy, a doctor or psychotherapist must first make a so-called "suspected diagnosis". This diagnosis is then sent to your health insurance provider, who will then approve or reject your treatment. It is best to speak directly to your family doctor first.

I am not yet a member of a health insurance fund: If you are not a member of a health insurance fund, for example because you are still in the asylum process, you can apply to the social welfare office to have the therapy costs covered. The social workers in your accommodation or an advice center can help you with this. You can find advice and support from the Refugee Council or Pro Asyl, for example. You can find the refugee council responsible for you at fluechtlingsrat.de. You can contact Pro Asyl at [email protected] in English and German. You can also search for an advice center near you at proasyl.de or our Local Search search engine.

However, many applications to the social welfare office are rejected immediately because the authorities do not want to pay for therapies for people with uncertain residence status. If your application is not rejected immediately, an assessment and evaluation will be carried out by doctors appointed by the social welfare office. They will then decide whether the social welfare office will pay for your therapy.

If your application is rejected by the social welfare office: For people whose therapy is not paid for by the social welfare office, there are free therapy places via special treatment centers for refugees. However, it is very difficult to get a place in one of these treatment centers because there are too few of them. You can find the addresses of these treatment centers on the website of the Federal Working Group of Psychosocial Centers for Refugees and Torture Victims. The website is available in German and English. You will need to ask the individual centers directly in which language the psychological help is given and whether there are any free places.

Important

It is not a sign of weakness to seek help. On the contrary: it is a sign of great strength to ask for support.

After a traumatic experience or dealing with current stress, it is normal to seek help for mental health concerns. You can find free and confidential support from experienced counselors at ipso-care, who offer services in multiple languages.

For individuals who feel overwhelmed and need immediate help, there are telephone hotlines available in German, Turkish, Arabic, and Russian that provide round-the-clock assistance.

Source: handbookgermany.de