Latest news with #UniversityofMünster
DW
5 days ago
- Health
- DW
Late-life depression: Learn to spot the signs early – DW – 07/25/2025
Depression goes undiagnosed when symptoms are mistaken for age-related physical illnesses. We need to treat mental health issues earlier in life. It is perhaps the last place you would expect to find a generational divide, but even in mental health, we (those of us of a certain age) are told, "We (those of us of a younger age) are more aware of mental health than you" — as if awareness alone could remedy depression. There is actually some truth to this. "There are shifts in younger generations and also in older generations. But unfortunately mental health is still very stigmatized for older adults," said Pascal Schlechter at the Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Germany. "It's quite a big step [for some people] to admit, 'I have a mental health problem and I want to talk about it.'" But it's not only older patients who lack awareness or a willingness to talk about depression. It can also be their doctors, who may misdiagnose a mental health problem as a physical one, common when you grow old. "If a 30-year-old tells you they've stopped going out and are withdrawing [from social interaction], you would ask them, 'Is anything wrong with your mental health? Are you depressed?'," said Schlechter. "But with an older person, you might say, 'You're fatigued. It's just part of the normal aging process. Just rest.'" To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The generational divide closes when we talk about symptoms of depression — there is little to no difference in depression between younger and older adults. While at Cambridge University in the UK, Schlechter co-published a paper on the development of depressive symptoms in older adults, based on the results from a longitudinal study that tracked the progress of more than 11,000 people over a period of 16 years. Schlechter and colleagues found the same symptoms in older adults as in younger adults: Patients expressed they , or that , they , had , or felt . However, they noted: "In older adults, depression often presents with more somatic symptoms than in younger populations." When we spoke in July 2025, Schlechter added: "Medical or somatic symptoms may be part of a depression, but [older adults] often misattribute these symptoms to their aging process. This can lead to delayed recognition, [and as a result] their depression may manifest more chronically." So, there is that difference: Whether it's due to a lack of awareness among patients and physicians, or stigma, depression can be worse for older people. That may be because the depression is combined with — or, in part, "triggered" by — a somatic (physical) illness, or symptoms of depression were left unaddressed earlier in life — perhaps also due to a lack of awareness or stigma. As with most illnesses the earlier depression or anxiety are diagnosed, the better the chances of treating them. Some social factors also contribute to depression. As we enter late life, we are often forced to adjust to changes in our social status, our identity through work or elsewhere in a community, and people start dying around us. We may even experience abuse from our carers, as highlighted information from the World Health Organization on depression — another, potential contributing factor. All these things can bring what may have been a mild, latent depression to the fore in a chronic and severe way. There is a sense when talking to experts in the field that physicians may prefer to tackle physical ailments in older adults than mental ones. No matter what age a person is, depression is difficult to treat. But when older adults present with both physical and mental health problems, it is even harder. "In both poorer and richer health systems in Europe, one of the main instruments we have to deal with depression is medication," said Albino Oliveira-Maia, who heads the Neuropsychiatry Unit at the Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon, Portugal. "When treating older adults [with] medication, [there is a] higher likelihood for interaction with other medication and for toxicities [to occur]," Oliveira-Maia told DW. "That might mean physicians pay more attention to physical health problems than mental health." But medication is not the only treatment for depression — there are also a range of psychotherapy options, or so-called talk therapies, including cognitive behavioral therapy, and many others, specific to a patient's situation. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video One aspect of depression we have not touch on yet is suicide. Suicide affects all groups of people, young and old, male and female. But regulation often prevents people from participating in research if they are known to have suicidal thoughts or show suicidal behavior. And that means there is a lack of understanding and knowledge among researchers. "This is obviously an ethical concern," said Oliveira-Maia. "It's an act of generosity to participate in a research program, so we need to protect the people. But in doing that, there are sometimes consequences that lead to slower progress for some of the patients that are most in need." People over 65 years can also be excluded from trials if they have existing medical conditions, such as vascular lesions in the brain, said Oliveira-Maia. Scientifically, this makes sense, even if only from a cold, unemotional perspective: If people die or their illnesses worsen during a trial, it can make it impossible for other teams to verify the results — which is a standard process and safety net in research, especially in the development of new medication. Both Schlechter and Oliveira-Maia have reservations about awareness campaigns, and specifically about self-diagnosis, which can go either way — a younger person may be more inclined to say, "Yes, I have a mental health problem" even if they don't, and an older person may deny all the signs. "For younger generations, there is more public awareness due to social media. And there are good campaigns that provide valid information," said Schlechter. "But there's also a lot of misinformation out there." Oliveira-Maia, meanwhile, is concerned about people misdiagnosing themselves, whether they are young or old. "While [they are] valuable, there is also some data to suggest that the awareness campaigns can in themselves lead to misclassification in that some people that are healthy can value their normal symptoms of sadness and anxiety as a mental health problem." The solution, as always with any illness or symptom that concerns you, is to speak to a health professional you can trust.
Daily Mail
02-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
More than a million Muslims in Germany with a 'migrant background' are at risk of being radicalised, study finds
One in five Muslim migrants living in Germany is susceptible to radicalisation, according to a new study conducted by one of the nation's foremost socio-political research organisations. Experts at the University of Münster's Research Centre for Islamic Theology last week shared the results of a survey it conducted to gauge socio-political views of Muslims with a 'migration background' across the country. Their study found that 19.9% of almost 1,900 respondents in the representative survey exhibited an emotional state that is ripe for radicalisation, based on strong anti-Western, anti-Semitic attitudes and a 'resentment' of German politics and societal norms, German media reported. 'Migration background' is a term used in Germany to refer to first-generation migrants and their offspring. There are more than 5.5 million Muslims in Germany with such a background, suggesting that one million people could be susceptible to being radicalised, according to Die Welt. Of the nearly 20% of respondents that researchers claimed could be targets for radicalisation, a third reportedly support violence in response to perceived injustices against Muslims. A majority of these respondents also said they felt that Islamic Sharia law was far superior to German law and want Islam to be the 'sole and final political authority' in Germany, according to media reports. Speaking to German outlet NOZ, Münster-based religious psychologist Sarah Demmrich said: 'With the emotional state of resentment, we were able to uncover a new and even strong factor in radicalisation. 'The capacity for criticism within Islam must be strengthened in order to promote reflective debates on religious and social issues,' she said. MailOnline has contacted the research centre for comment. The emergence of the research by the Centre for Islamic Theology comes weeks after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz scrapped his nation's open border policy and issued orders to turn undocumented migrants away at the frontiers. Alexander Dobrindt, Merz's new interior minister, rescinded former Chancellor Angela Merkel's 2015 order, which had previously allowed hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers to enter Germany. The new rules will now see everyone without proper documentation, apart from children and pregnant women, turned away if they try to enter Germany from a neighbouring country. Merz also moved to initiate a process to allow for the deportation of Syrian migrants following the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad's regime late last year. The Chancellor, who made the order on his first day in office early May, pledged during the election to crack down on migration. To implement the new measures, Dobrint ordered a massive increase in border force personnel, with local media reporting that a further 3,000 cops are being brought in for a total of 14,000 border guards. 'It's clear that we want to take stronger steps against illegal immigration and the result must be that we deploy a bigger police presence at the borders for that. The numbers remain significantly too high,' Dobrint said. Merz defended the policy, saying: 'The European Union must send a signal to those who are setting off for Europe without valid entry permits. 'Above all, we need to send a signal to the smuggling organisations that these routes will become much more difficult in the future - and that at some point, they will be closed altogether. That is the right and strong common signal.' Suspected illegal migrants sit on the ground after they were detained by German police during their patrol along the German-Polish border to prevent illegal migration Merz last month succeeded his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, whose government collapsed six months ago. Scholz, too, had been under pressure to curb migration as shelters across the country had been filling up for years. His government tried to speed up asylum procedures and also negotiated agreements for countries to take unsuccessful asylum seekers back in exchange for more opportunities for legal immigration. In February, Scholz extended strict border controls brought in to tackle migration and Islamist terrorism by a further six months past their planned expiry in March. According to the EU, member states are allowed to temporarily reintroduce border controls in cases of a serious threat, such as internal security. But the regulations stipulate that border controls should be time-limited and applied as a last resort in exceptional situations. Recent attacks on German soil refocused attention on security and immigration ahead of the election earlier this year. In December, the country was rocked by an attack in Bavaria, when an Afghan asylum seeker allegedly stabbed a two-year-old boy and a passerby to death in a German park.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
German bishop to create new independent discipline system for priests
The Catholic Diocese of Münster in western Germany will become the first diocese worldwide to introduce an arbitration council and a disciplinary code for clergy beginning on March 1, Bishop Felix Genn announced on Friday. Genn said the new disciplinary structures are his response to a 2022 report on decades of sexual abuse in the diocese. At the time, Genn announced that there would be consequences for the failings uncovered in the report and that he intended to relinquish his power over discipline and instead submit decisions to independent supervisory bodies. The report had placed part of the blame on the structures within the diocese, and the role played by Catholic officials in charge of lower-ranking clergy, such as bishops and vicars general. The diocese announced that breaches of official duties could now be punished in an orderly manner, in roughly the same way that civil servants can face discipline under German law. Genn had previously informed the relevant committees of the diocese about the arbitration council and the disciplinary regulations. Two experts in Catholic canon law, Thomas Schüller and Thomas Neumann, drew up the new regulations. Both serve on the theology faculty at the University of Münster. "Many of the perpetrators know exactly how to stay just below the threshold of criminal acts. But even minor abuses have consequences for those affected," Schüller, a professor of canon law, told dpa. With the new Münster disciplinary rules, repeat offenders could now be ordered "to no longer work in pastoral care," he said. "It is also possible that priests will have to contribute to the costs of therapy. The pension of older priests can be reduced."
