Mental health in East and West Germany from reunification to the present

Abstract

This chapter provides the first extensive overview of mental health in Germany since reunification. Relying on data from the Socio-Economic Panel, an annual, representative panel study running since 1984 (in East Germany since 1990), this chapter reports the prevalence of mental health conditions in West and East Germany across 30 years. Specifically, the data provides insights into life satisfaction, satisfaction with health, mental health-related quality of life, affective well-being, anxiety and depression symptoms, loneliness, and received formal diagnosis of a mental disorder. For instance, life satisfaction differed substantially between both parts of Germany immediately after the reunification. In recent decades, this gap has narrowed considerably, but differences remain. The patterns for the other mental health indicators were similar. These patterns are described while considering other variables such as gender, age, income, and education levels. In addition, current insights are provided on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected people from both parts of Germany. The chapter closes with a discussion of possible explanations for the findings reported here as well as the chapter’s limitations and future directions for research.