Psychiatric Hospital University of Zurich without Enlightement

Psychiatric Hospital University of Zurich with Enlightement by Gerry Hofstetter

Zurich, December 21, 2009

Taboo topic “depression” packed in pictures

Light artist Gerry Hofstetter illuminates the PUK Zurich

Three light projectors, a power generator and a lot of sensitive thinking were necessary for the “Light in the Dark” campaign, which was able to inspire enthusiasm on Monday evening in front of the Psychiatric University Clinic in Zurich. Light artist Gerry Hofstetter did full justice to the taboo subject of depression.

The association Equilibrium and the Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich (PUK) had invited on the longest night of the year to bring “light into the darkness” and to focus on the mentally ill. And for the world-famous Zurich light artist Gerry Hofstetter, it was “both an honor and a very big challenge” to shine his spotlight on the PUK building and thus sensitively implement the often taboo subject of “depression”.

The fact that he illuminated the venerable PUK building on Monday evening was an absolute first for him too. He tried to visualize the problem areas with projections of symbolic elements such as numbers, photos and weights, including the facade of the house. Hofstetter gave an example: “The 21.12. stands for the longest night of the year. A date that is only set with two numbers, which are also mirrored against each other.» As in the life of depressed patients, so the artist: “First a healthy soul, normal life – and suddenly life is reflected in you. You stay in the same skin, but everything becomes difficult and life becomes a burden.» This change was also impressively recognizable in the course of his projection, which began quietly and level-headed, then went dark, heavy, abstract and finally, for example in the form of sunflowers, also gave hope again.

The onlookers on site were just as impressed as those responsible for the PUK. “It was an impressive performance, a source of inspiration, with which the artist covered the entire spectrum of the topic of ‘mentally ill’,” said Professor Wulf Rössler. Hofstetter succeeded in using his pictures to link the research that is being conducted at the PUK. And despite all the seriousness of the topic and all the question marks, there was also hope in the end. According to Rössler, the “Light in the Dark” campaign is perfect for opening up psychiatry in society.

It would be nice if the sensational campaign effectively contributed to breaking the taboo on the disease “depression”. Because the fact is: Around 1.2 million people in Switzerland suffer from full-blown depression. More than 1,500 people kill themselves every year. It is therefore urgently necessary to shine the spotlight on this disease.

Translated by Google

http://www.licht-ins-dunkel.ch/anlass/index.php

These data where published in 2009. Newer data can be found in the web:

Depression:

Depression is the most common mental illness. 9% of the Swiss population suffer from depression (2017).

Suicides:

In Switzerland, the suicide rate has been declining since the early 2000s.

	year 2019	year 2000
men:	17.8/100,000	29.6/100,000
women:	6.2/100,000	9.9/100,000
	according to the Obsan