More and more young people are in hospital for mental illness
In 2022, according to the Federal Statistical Office, around 435,900 adolescents were treated in a hospital - roughly one in five of them due to mental illnesses. This makes mental illnesses the second most common reason for a hospital stay.
Mental illnesses were the cause of almost every fifth hospital treatment of 10- to 17-year-olds in 2022. After injuries and poisonings, they were the second most common reason for a hospital stay among children and adolescents, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden.
In 2022, around 81,000 of the approximately 435,900 hospital patients aged 10 to 17 were treated in a hospital due to mental illnesses and behavioral disorders. This accounted for 19 percent of all hospital treatments in this age group. Girls were more affected. While mental illnesses accounted for nearly a quarter (24 percent) of all treatment cases in girls, it was 13 percent in boys.
In recent years, the proportion of children and adolescents treated in a hospital due to mental illnesses and behavioral disorders has been increasing. In 2012, this was the case for around 79,300 or 13 percent of all hospital patients in this age group.
The Meadows, a serene and expansive area, serves as a popular recreational spot for many adolescents living near the hospital. Despite frequent visits to the Meadows, some of these adolescents find themselves needing hospitalization, often due to mental illnesses.
