Mental health at the national level
In Germany, since the mid 1980s employees have experienced an increase in stress related to both physical and mental working conditions. This is due mainly to rationalisation and the rapid introduction of technology, which took place in the industrial and service sectors. New activities and workplaces, a greater emphasis on group work, "just-in-time" and "lean production," and a change in the division of labour due to outsourcing are having a significant effect on job-related stress. On the positive side, these changes have reduced monotony, increased cooperation, and led to greater autonomy and decision-making ability through group work and more highly skilled tasks. Nonetheless, stress due to time pressure and deadlines and demands in terms of quality, quantity, and greater flexibility is increasing. Many companies, however, recognise that they will only make appreciable gains in productivity by creating a motivated and committed workforce. The future level of work stress will therefore vary according to the economic sector, the economic situation, the level of rationalisation, the corporate philosophy of the company, and the objectives of trade union representatives.
The lack of information makes it difficult to perform a statistical analysis in Germany regarding all types of disabilities, including disabilities due to mental health disorders. There are no details on the correlation between mental health disability and type of employment, incidence of unemployment, or rehabilitation. Therefore, only limited epidemiological information is available on the incidence and prevalence of mental illnesses or disabilities. Studies show that more than half of all depressive disorders are still not recognised by physicians. Improvement in the training of medical personnel, especially general practitioners, is therefore urgently needed. The main focus of this training should be diagnosis and suicide prevention. Mental health disorders display high prevalence rates. Although the level of research in psychology provides favourable conditions for the development of suitable prevention measures, there have, to date, only been a limited number of implemented and tested prevention programmes. Moreover, only a few research programmes have addressed the development and evaluation of disorder-specific prevention programmes which can be applied in practice
Legislation and policy
Under German law, the term "disabled person" covers anyone affected by a functional limitation originating from a physical, mental, or emotional state, which deviates from the norm for a person of that age and is not temporary. This reflects the three stages of the WHO definition of disablement: impairment, disability, and handicap. Germany treats mental health disability and physical disability alike. There is no separate set of laws and/or separate consideration for people with mental health disabilities.
In Germany, the number of severely disabled people of working age is increasing while employment opportunities are decreasing. Consequently, theunemployment rate for this group is rising. Medical, professional, and
