On February 9 and 10, the DGPH held its annual conference and general meeting 2023 in Hannover. Thematically, the event was organized under the motto "Mental Health in All Policies" and supported in terms of content by the Department of Public Mental Health. The aim of the annual meeting was to discuss the main topic from different perspectives of different public health fields of action.

News from the DGPH General Assembly:

On Thursday evening, Hajo Zeeb opened the general meeting as vice-chairman of the board and reported on the activities and successes of the professional society in the last association year, for example various participations in conferences or scientific statements. The reports from the professional societies and working groups also illustrated many activities and great commitment within the DGPH. In addition, the professional work within the DGPH got growth: We welcome the newly founded Department of Health Promotion and Prevention in the DGPH. In addition, the working group Digital Public Health was consolidated as a specialist area.

Mental Health in All Policies

In addition to the numerous departmental sessions within the framework of the annual conference, the substantive part was started on Friday with a plenary session on current developments and challenges in the field of public mental health. Dr. Kappert-Gonther (MdB) and acting chair of the Health Committee opened the conference with a welcoming speech, emphasizing the relevance of the topic. This was followed by further plenary lectures on the current challenges, surveillance measures of the RKI, an insight into practical projects in the living environments as well as an outlook on the influence of megatrends on Public Mental Health. The second part of the conference was devoted to interactive in-depth discussions of the conference topic. For this purpose, the working groups and departments of the DGPH organized workshops on different topics and derived opportunities, challenges and demands for science, practice and politics. Thematically, climate change and its impact on public mental health, digital prevention and care services to strengthen mental health as well as the role of the ÖGD in this area and the topic of stigmatization were deepened using the example of alcohol consumption.

As a conclusion of the successful event, it can be summarized that the new format was well suited to discuss the challenges and fields of action of Public Mental Health across the DGPH. After the pandemic-related break, the personal meetings through workshops, café breaks or the joint dinner also seemed to have contributed to the discussion. Furthermore, we would like to thank the organizers, speakers and faculty for their participation, which contributed to the success of the event.