FiF Forum 2025: "Mental illness – ways out of the crisis. An information event for people affected and interested parties.
on 26 June | Wilhelm-Köhler-Saal of TU Darmstadt | 10:00 to 14:00
With lecture by Prof. Dr. med. Dr. phil. Thomas Fuchs on the topic “Fast, faster, too fast. Overstraining, burnout, and depression”.
In addition to the lecture by Mr. Fuchs, the event will include a subsequent panel discussion and an exhibition of TU offers on the topic. The target group are all status groups at TU Darmstadt from science, administration, and students.
Good health, both physical and mental, is essential for being able to work and study well and successfully. The importance of mental health is often underestimated as it is not always visible. Symptoms such as exhaustion, sleep disorders or irritability can develop gradually and lead to serious illness if not recognized and treated in time.
It is important to talk openly about these issues and to raise awareness that mental illness should be taken just as seriously as physical illness. Seeking support and taking care of your own mental health is an essential step.
Aim of the event
The FiF event aims to help remove the stigma from the topic, including in university contexts, and to provide information about the topic, its connections and possible answers in the best sense of the word. It also offers opportunities for encounters and exchanges – for all status groups at TU Darmstadt from science and administration.
Registration
When? Thursday, 26 June 2025, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Where? Wilhelm-Köhler-Saal, Building S1|03 Room 283, Hochschulstraße 1
Registration at eveeno (opens in new tab)
https://eveeno.com/207837172
In memoriam Felix Hill (1983-2024)
Felix Hill was a young, highly talented AI researcher. He received his doctorate from the University of Cambridge and most recently worked for several years as an internationally esteemed senior researcher in one of the best research departments – Google DeepMind in London. On 5 December 2024, he took his own life, having been increasingly affected by mental health issues, depression and psychosis since 2023. The texts he left behind speak openly of loneliness, fear, isolation and also of enormous pressure. Serious mental health issues correlate with drug and alcohol abuse, which leads to unbearable psychosis and ultimately to the decision to take one's own life.
In the texts he left behind, Felix Hill explicitly expressed the wish that his story be told – not for its own sake, but to encourage others facing similar problems to seek help and advice in good time. We take Felix Hill at his word and honour his memory by making these texts publicly available as part of this FiF forum.
Felix Hill has already formulated the aim of this event:
…“Returning to the question of mental health, one thing I hope to do by sharing my story is to reduce stigma and generally further the progressive evolution of society in a small way. Not long ago people were embarrassed to have cancer. In Humans of AI I tried to raise this a bit with Druv Batra, but I wasn’t brave enough to do it properly. Maybe we can use some of my savings to get the message out further. I’m ashamed of many things, but I’m not ashamed of my illness, and it would be nice to build a world where nobody is.”…
Lecture and participants of the discussion
The event will address the following questions: How is the subject viewed from a scientific perspective? How are phenomena of mental illness perceived and how do they manifest themselves? How can problems be responded to with concrete offers of help? What specific help and counselling services are available at TU Darmstadt?
Prof. Dr. med. Dr. phil. Thomas Fuchs – Professor at the University Hospital Heidelberg Sektion Phänomenologische Psychopathologie und Psychotherapie (opens in new tab) and Director of the Tagesklinik Blankenburg. (opens in new tab)
Lecture on the topic: ‘Fast, faster, too fast. Excessive demands, burn-out and depression’.
Professor Fuchs' lecture will be followed by a panel discussion in which the following people will take part:
- Nadine Balzter – Head of Student Health Management at TU Darmstadt
- Dr. Donya Gilan – Psychological Director of the Transcultural Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic at the Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Centre, Mainz
- Prof. Dr. Iryna Gurevych – Professor at the Department of Computer Science LOEWE-Zentrum DYNAMIC & Ubiquitous Knowledge Processing (UKP) Lab
- Prof. Dr. Felix Kühnle – Professor at the Department of Human Sciences, Sociology of Sport
- Dipl.-Soz. Frauke Spreckels – Head of the Counselling Centre for Employees BuB at TU Darmstadt
The event will be moderated by Dr Claudia Becker.
