DZPG celebrates its first year at the Munich-Augsburg site

On June 5, the Munich-Augsburg site of the German Center for Mental Health (DZPG) celebrated its first year with a status symposium. 

The DZPG began its work in May 2023 with the aim of improving the mental health of the population in Germany, destigmatizing mental illness and informing the public. At the status symposium, Dr. Christina Berndt (Süddeutsche Zeitung) led a panel discussion that focused on translational medicine - the transfer of the latest research findings into practice. Guests from the fields of philosophy, public health, psychology, experience and inclusion were invited to discuss the topic of "Mental illness and society: areas of tension and opportunities". They discussed how to make mental illnesses more visible, raise awareness of support services and integrate people with mental illnesses better into society.

From the outset, the DZPG has paid particular attention to research translation and project participation and development with people with experience of mental illness and their relatives. Trialogical councils were formed at the DZPG headquarters and at each partner site, in which experience experts, relatives and professionals jointly advise on current projects and initiate their own projects. At the Munich-Augsburg status symposium, experience experts and relatives reported on the current needs of the councils and the status of joint projects, while the translation of recent research developments for the general public was discussed in smaller groups in the afternoon. Rudolf Starzengruber, spokesperson for those affected in the national DZPG Trialogical Council, summarized their wishes succinctly: "The research outcomes should better fit the patients."

The symposium opened in the lecture hall of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the LMU Hospital, where many early career scientists presented their research projects. In addition, video messages from members at other DZPG sites reported on the work of the twelve overarching infrastructures. The afternoon was filled with discussion, as participants met in 'World Cafés', smaller breakout rooms for topics that are especially relevant at the Munich-Augsburg site. Topics discussed included prenatal and early childhood trauma, early intervention and prevention, and the promotion of early career scientists. On the last topic, Dr. Lucia Bulubas and Dr. Spyridon Siafis, both members of the Early Career Scientists speaker team, called for a closer exchange with and representation in the other DZPG committees, greater financial support and the elimination of bottlenecks on the career paths of clinical training and research.

At the end of the day there was a lively discussion about the vision of the DZPG and the Munich-Augsburg site. Members from the five Munich-Augsburg institutes – Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Technical University of Munich, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Helmholtz Center Munich, and University of Augsburg – agreed that, in the coming years, the site will focus on a mechanistic understanding of mental illness through the research projects, increased financial and structural support for early career scientists, as well as closer communication with the public through public relations work. 

Prof. Peter Falkai, Speaker at the DZPG Munich-Augsburg site and Director of the LMU Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, reiterated this in his closing words: "The aim of the DZPG is to understand the fundamentals of mental health and to develop measures that maintain resilience even in times of crisis."

Source: Press release LMU Klinikum