Mental health - how do you get mentally ill and what can you do about it

Mental illnesses are a major burden on individuals, but also on society. Once they have occurred, the duration of the illness is unfortunately often long and the resulting impairments have a lasting, usually negative impact on the lives of those affected. But why do we become mentally ill in the first place and what can we do about it? This lecture aims to provide answers to these questions and food for thought. Models and selected findings on the development of mental illness will be presented and some important concepts for strengthening and maintaining mental health will be addressed.