Mental health and resilience - the secrets of inner strength | DW Documentary

Around one billion people struggle with stress-related illness globally - and that figure is rising. What protects those with good mental health? Is their resilience innate? Or is the ability to withstand chronic stress and crisis something that can be learned?

In the search for answers, the film visits some of the leading figures in resilience research. The filmmakers also interview epigeneticists and neuroscientists. In the largest European resilience center in Mainz, Germany, researchers conduct a long-term study to explore the mechanisms deployed by people who enjoy good mental health despite stress and crisis. In southern France, the film meets Boris Cyrulnik, a pioneer of resilience research. His credo: when it comes to resilient behavior, it’s not just down to us - society and politics also have a responsibility to create appropriate conditions for stable psychological health. And the film tells the moving story of two families united by tragedy: following the violent death of their two sons, who were friends, they struggle to find their way back to some semblance of normal life.

Our experiences, our environment and our genes - all influence our powers of mental resilience. Resilience isn’t a magic word or a promise of happiness, but a life-long learning process.

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