Inpatient psychotherapy is effective in Germany

The treatment available in hospitals and specialist departments that offer psychotherapeutic services primarily consists of individual and group psychotherapy, which is supplemented with complementary therapeutic measures. "In this regard," Sven Rabung explains, "Germany distinguishes itself from virtually all other countries, where patients with psychiatric disorders usually only receive inpatient treatment in psychiatric hospitals. There, the focus is directed more towards the medicinal-pharmacological work with the patients." Every year, more than one million patients are treated in these hospitals in Germany.

Liebherz and Rabung recently presented their results in the journal PLOS ONE. They were able to demonstrate that the treatment in psychotherapeutic hospitals produces positive effects in the case of severely ill patients with regard to the severity of the symptoms and in relation to interpersonal difficulties. According to Rabung, "It would be interesting to examine the correlations between the severity of the symptoms and the interpersonal impairments, the treatment duration, and the treatment result. This area requires further research."