The Legacy of the Berlin Wall: Wall Sickness

Key Points

• 1In the early 1970s, German psychologist Dietfried Müller-Hegemann coined the term "wall disease" or "Mauerkrankheit" to describe the psychological and emotional toll felt by those living near the Berlin Wall.
• 2Symptoms of wall disease included a sense of being locked up and isolated, and severe cases included psychosis, schizophrenia, and behavioral problems.
• 3The Berlin Wall fell on November 9, 1989, exactly 35 years ago, causing emotional liberation, but the legacy of Mauerkrankheit continues with walls dividing people around the world.
• 4Border walls are often defended as necessary for security, but there is mounting evidence that these barriers cause more harm than good, including higher rates of depression and ‘othering’.
• 5In the decade following the 9/11 attacks, forty-seven new border walls arose around the world, and there are now more than seventy significant security barriers at borders worldwide.