[Self-help support for chronic illness-societal challenges and current approaches].

Community self-help in self-help groups is socially recognized as a form and culture of informal help. Knowledge is gathered and common strategies for coping with everyday life in chronic illness or disability are developed. Self-help clearinghouses at 300 locations in Germany significantly support the foundation and work of self-help groups.

[An overview of self-help structures in Germany].

Self-help groups, self-help organizations, and clearing-houses have now become recognized elements of the health care system. Organized self-help, which has a long tradition in Germany, gained significant momentum during the 1980s and 1990s. Several factors still contribute to the development of self-help groups: the increased number of chronic health conditions, the improved treatment programs, increasing life expectancies, changes in primary social networks (family, relations, and neighborhood), and increased public recognition of the value of self-help.