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Markus Lanz Reveals Past Panic Attacks as Podcast Probes Rise in Mental-Health Sick Leave

Precht attributes the increase to broader diagnostic definitions with shifting attitudes toward mental illness.

Overview

  • In the latest Lanz & Precht episode, the ZDF host recalls a "dark time" in his late 20s marked by panic attacks and fear of a heart attack.
  • Lanz says he regained stability through systematic endurance training, describing a breakthrough run that restored trust in his body.
  • The discussion cites data showing nearly a 50% rise in sick leave for mental illness from 2014 to 2024.
  • Precht argues that expanded diagnostic categories and cultural change mean more people now identify as ill, contrasting this with earlier workplace views that framed long absences as weakness.
  • The hosts question whether burnout is a single, clearly diagnosable condition, with Lanz describing it as feeling overwhelmed in everyday life and Precht highlighting stress challenges for younger generations.