The DGPPN is the largest scientific medical association focussing on mental health in Germany. It pools the competence of 9000 doctors and scientists in the fields of psychiatry, psychotherapy and psychosomatics who work in university and non-university hospitals, in office-based practices and in research.

The world of work is changing: digitalisation and globalisation are constantly increasing the demands on workers and require maximum flexibility. What these developments ultimately mean for the individual is not yet fully clear. What is clear, however, is that the increasing interconnectedness of people and machines will fundamentally change the way we work and the associated mental stress. 

In Germany, more and more people are using medical services for mental illness. This poses great challenges for the health care system. Internet-based interventions offer opportunities to counteract the current health care shortages – as long as they are based on scientifically recognised psychotherapeutic techniques and fulfil safety standards.

All people have the right to decide how to live their lives and thus also to decide about measures that affect their health. Self-determined, possibly supported decision-making by patients is therefore a prerequisite for good medical treatment.