09.12.2024

Mental Health Days 2024

From 25.11.-04.12.2024, the University of Tübingen hosted the first university-wide Mental Health Days! 10 days - 28 offers - 18 participating institutions! Under the motto “Creating New Perspectives”, students could expect workshops, lectures, networking opportunities, counseling and coaching offers, sports activities and hands-on activities!

The Mental Health Days were initiated and coordinated by the Student Health Management (SGM) BeTaBalance, which had already started planning the event at the beginning of the year as part of the SGM advisory circle (an internal university network of stakeholders who offer health services for students). 
The aim of the Mental Health Days was to open up new perspectives on the topic of mental health, break down existing stigmas and connect students with each other. “These university-wide days of action are an important signal, because mental health concerns us all,” says Prof. Dr. Karin Amos.
The Mental Health Days kicked off with the “Info Exchange” on 25.11. in Mensa Wilhelmstraße. Various institutions were on site to present their support services for students in the field of mental health. 
One of the highlights of the Mental Health Days was the visit by the Robert Enke Foundation with its VR experience “Impression Depression”. The participants were equipped with VR goggles and lead vests and went on a VR tour through the mind of a person suffering from depression. The aim was to create greater understanding of the illness of depression.

Manfred “Manne” Lucha, Minister for Social Affairs, Health and Integration in Baden-Württemberg, encouraged students to take advantage of the Mental Health Days “to learn tools for increasing their resilience and coping with stress in everyday life.” Several hundred students took this to heart and took part in the Mental Health Days. 
The response to the Mental Health Days was consistently positive. “I find the variety of offers at the Mental Health Days incredibly interesting. Taking part in the offers gives you the opportunity to get out of your everyday life for a bit,” said one participant. “By taking part in the Mental Health Days, mental illnesses are now more tangible for me. I was able to develop a better understanding of how someone who is ill feels,” said one participant. “If the Mental Health Days were to take place again next year? Of course, I would come again,” was the feedback from another participant. 
The SGM BeTaBalance would now like to use the momentum of the Mental Health Days to further expand synergies at the university and thus further optimize the range of services for students in the field of mental health. 
Further impressions of the Mental Health Days can also be seen in the aftermovie.