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Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - According to a study, more and more children and young people in North Rhine-Westphalia are receiving psychotherapy.
From 2009 to 2019, the number of treatments more than doubled.
In 2019, around 208,000 children and adolescents were receiving psychotherapeutic treatment in NRW, which is 119 percent more than ten years earlier, according to the information.
That comes from the current doctor report of the Barmer health insurance company.
In 2019, 4.7 percent of all children and adolescents in North Rhine-Westphalia received psychotherapy.
This means that the country is in the “sad second place” in a nationwide comparison, it said.
Only in Berlin is the proportion higher at 5.19 percent.
“We view these figures with great concern.
Psychological problems can have serious consequences for children and young people, ”said Heiner Beckmann, state manager of Barmer in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Parents and other caregivers would have to watch out for alarm signals.
"Prompt help and prevention can do a lot to ensure that psychological problems do not arise or become permanent," said Beckmann.
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Nationwide, around 823,000 children and adolescents (4.13 percent) were receiving psychotherapeutic treatment in 2019.
This corresponds to an increase of 104 percent compared to 2009.
Because of the corona pandemic, experts expect a further increase in psychological problems, especially among young people.
The number of applications for acute psychotherapeutic treatment or first-time therapies in 2020 indicates this.
According to Barmer, around 44,000 applications were made in the second half of 2020, 6.3 percent more than in the second half of 2019. In the fourth quarter of 2020 (October to December), 12.6 percent more applications were received than in the same period of 2019. "The Corona -Pandemic leaves its mark on young people in particular, who are already psychologically troubled, "warned Beckmann.
The need for treatment increases with age.
According to the study, from the age of eight, the cross-sex rate is between five and six percent.
Between the ages of eight and twelve, boys are noticeably more affected than girls.
During puberty, the proportion of girls then rose sharply: 8.4 percent of 17-year-old girls received treatment in 2019, while the figure for boys was 3.7 percent.
This difference continued among young adults.
7.1 percent of 24-year-old women were receiving treatment (men: 3.6 percent).
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© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210322-99-922423 / 2
Communication from Barmer