[Recommendations for psychotherapy in psychiatric inpatient treatment : Results of the PAKT Study Part I].

BACKROUND: In the S3 treatment guidelines psychotherapy is recommended in all psychological disorders. Therefore, outpatient or inpatient psychotherapy should be recommended by therapists in most cases. On the other hand, it is well known that waiting periods for psychotherapeutic treatment are considerable, which raises the question how the recommendation for psychotherapy is presented in psychiatric hospitals in Germany.
OBJECTIVES: The article deals with the question of how frequent the recommendation of psychotherapeutic treatment is made after psychiatric inpatient stay or day care, and if there are differences between hospitals and patient groups.
METHOD: In four psychiatric hospitals in southern Germany the frequency of recommendation for psychotherapy in psychiatric patients was registered and compared to the number of all patients treated in the equivalent time. For this purpose, we analyzed data of the basic documentation in the four participating hospitals.
RESULTS: Overall, 9.6 % of the patients received a recommendation of psychotherapeutic treatment. In the psychiatric university hospital a subsequent psychotherapeutic treatment was recommended somewhat more often. Differences between hospitals were present but marginal. Over all participating hospitals, psychotherapy was recommended markedly less frequently in patients with an F2 diagnosis in comparison with patients with F3 or F4 diagnoses.
CONCLUSION: Psychotherapeutic treatment after psychiatric inpatient stay is recommended cautiously. Probably therapists anticipate the fact that the growing demand for psychotherapeutic treatment in general reduces the chances for persons after psychiatric inpatient treatment.