17.03.2021
16.12.2020 #4
Mental Health and Club CultureFeelings of community, ecstasy, crisis - What is the relationship between club culture and mental health?
- Leur Hirz is a clinical psychologist. She works at the Berliner Krisendienst, at Lara e.V. – Fachberatungsstelle gegen sexuelleisierte Gewalt an Frauen, as a feminist researcher and in counseling children and adolescents in school contexts. She has also been active for several years in eclipse e.V. – psychedelic crisis intervention.
- Katrin Will works as an addiction therapist and counselor at Vista and is a member of the Sonar crew.
- RĂ¼diger Schmolke is a health scientist and has worked for over 25 years in the field of low-threshold, acceptance-oriented drug work. He is an active board member of SONICS Safer Nightlife Bundesverband and one of the coordinators of SONAR – Safer Nightlife Berlin.
- Silan Derin is a psychologist, works as a counselor at Stillpoint Spaces Berlin and has herself worked in various Berlin clubs and club culture contexts.
Insights and outlook
- How can the community support each other? Especially in times when Corona constrains our social networks, we need effective ways to recognize mental crisis situations. People who otherwise only meet each other at parties need spaces to reconnect to ensure one another’s well-being.
- The creators and organizers of club spaces are also missing places to come together. Due to the crisis, many have lost their work and the daily structures it offered. We need new ways to support and provide companionship to one another.
- How can education, e.g. about drug use, take place outside clubs? Support opportunities need to be shared across all social classes and communities. Resources, such as referrals to help hotlines or therapists with proximity to club culture, could be made available on social media until it is possible to share in person and at parties again.