AWARE September Update: Research and Exchange on Mental Health

AWARE at the Joint Conference of the DGPuK Health and Science Communication DivisionsThe AWARE project teams from Germany and Austria presented their work at the joint conference of the Health Communication and Science

The AWARE project teams from Germany (LMU Munich, PI: Ruth Wendt) and Austria (University of Vienna, PI: Kathrin Karsay) presented their work at the joint conference of the Health Communication and Science Communication sections of the German Communication Association (DGPuK) in Munich.

Hannah Bauer (LMU Munich) and Alina Danilkow (University of Vienna) presented their doctoral projects at a doctoral student workshop. Both are conducting research on self-diagnosis as part of the AWARE project and received valuable input for their future work.

In addition, initial results from two project studies were presented:

• Hannah Bauer presented a poster on a focus group study that examines how young people perceive mental illness on social media and how they respond to related posts.

• Alina Danilkow presented the results of a content analysis of social media posts related to the hashtags #wellbeing and #mentalillness.

Numerous discussions took place with new and existing contacts. Lectures and workshops, for example, on using simple language in health communication, especially when dealing with children and adolescents, gave us valuable insights for AWARE. These findings are being directly incorporated into the design of our study materials.

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Swiss Public Health Conference 2025: Mental Health as a Societal Responsibility

From September 11 to 12, 2025, experts gathered in Lugano for the Swiss Public Health Conference, which was held jointly with the Swiss Mental Health Network Conference this year. Under the theme “Mental Health and Wellbeing: Investing in Mental Wealth,” participants discussed key questions: What are the socioeconomic consequences of mental illness? How do social factors affect the mental health of young people? And what role do social media and influencers play in this?

The AWARE team from Switzerland (Università della Svizzera italiana, PI: Anne-Linda Camerini) took part in the conference. Dora Weubel presented her first focus group study from the AWARE project in a panel led by Sophie Mayen on the topic of “Exploring depression and other forms of psychological distress.” The study examines how young people perceive mental illness and the role played by family, friends, school, and social media. The aim is to gain a better understanding of how young people perceive mental health and the significance of stigma and social norms in this context.

The conference in Lugano showed that mental health is not only an individual issue but also a central social issue. This makes it all the more important to advance research in this area and translate scientific findings into practical concepts and measures–whether in prevention, schools, the health care system, or politics.