Giving depression a voice

Those affected can submit written testimonials or audio and video files for the website. "We want an open approach to Depression and thus awaken understanding for the disease, which is often difficult for outsiders to grasp," explain the initiators of the project Michaela Kirst and Axel Schmidt. The very personal insights are supplemented by short expert videos. These contain the most important information about symptoms, causes and treatment options for depression. "The user can thus find out about depression without having to read long texts," says the Knick Design agency, which designed and implemented the website. Celebrities also make their case for depression education on the website. In addition to entertainer Harald Schmidt, presenter and actress Nova Meierhenrich and blogger Victoria van Violence have their say. "The website is a unique educational platform about depression. There is nothing comparable on the Internet" emphasizes the filmmaker and psychiatrist Axel Schmidt further.

A year in the life of people with depression - documentary gave impetus for educational website

The website was developed from the film project "The middle of the night is the beginning of the day". For the documentary film, Michaela Kirst and Axel Schmidt accompanied two women suffering from depression and a family affected for a year. In 2016, the film premiered and has since been shown in cinema screenings in over 90 locations. The documentary can be ordered as a DVD for home viewing. "During the search for protagonists for our documentary, many people confided their experiences to us. We were not able to include all of them in the film. However, we felt that it was really important to give all these different stories a home," says director and producer Michaela Kirst of sagamedia, explaining the idea for the project.

Still many prejudices and gaps in knowledge about the disease

Every year, 5.3 million people in Germany suffer from depression that requires treatment. The widespread disease is characterized, among other things, by depressed mood, lack of interest and joy, persistent sleep disturbances and a feeling of hopelessness. Prof. Ulrich Hegerl, Chairman of the Board of the German Depression Aid Foundation, still sees a great need for education: "We know from our nationwide surveys that there are still major gaps in knowledge and prejudices about depression among the German population. Many people do not understand that depression is a serious illness that can affect anyone and requires professional treatment. They confuse depression with worries or Overloadthat everyone experiences once in their everyday life." The website therefore provides a very personal and authentic insight into how the disease feels and thus makes an important contribution to raising awareness.

More info

You can find the testimonials of those affected and the expert clips at www.die-mitte-der-nacht.de.
The documentary "The middle of the night is the beginning of the day" is available on DVD via www.deutsche-depressionshilfe.de/infomaterial available.