DGKJP
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Germany
A synopsis of the German Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy
(“Deutsche Gesellschaft für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie,
Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie” – DGKJP)
Content:
- Definition more>>
- Associations and contact addresses more>>
- Journals more>>
- Post-graduate training and CME more>>
- Current situation of child psychiatric services more>>
- Classification systems more>>
- Structure and organization of services more>>
- Funding of services more>>
- Research more>>
Definition:
In Germany, child and adolescent psychiatry comprises the diagnosis, non-surgical treatment, prevention, and rehabilitation of psychiatric, behavioural, psychosomatic, developmental and neurological diseases or disorders during childhood and adolescence (definition according to the German Medical Association 1994). In Germany, child and adolescent psychiatry first became an independent medical speciality in 1968. The specialty is currently officially termed Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy. The German Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy is the respective German scientific society (abbreviated as DGKJP). It has a joint office with the society for adult psychiatry (DGPPN) in Berlin.
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Associations and contact addresses:
There are three German child psychiatric societies/associations:
1) "German Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy" (DGKJP)
http://www.dgkjp.de/.
This scientific society currently has 886 members (April 2009);
Dr. Thomas Nesseler and Mrs. Nicole Schardien, Reinhardtstr. 14, 10117 Berlin, phone: +49-30-28096519, fax: +49-30-28096579, geschaeftsstelle@dgkjp.de).2) "Professional Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists, Psychosomatic Therapists and Psychotherapists in Germany" (BKJPP)
http://www.bkjpp.de/:
The association currently has 1.000 members;
Dr. Maik Herberhold, c/o Science Services Thomas Wiese GmbH, Hohenzollerndamm 124, 14199 Berlin, phone: +49-30-897379740, fax: +49-30-83224896, mail@bkjpp.de.3) Board of Department Heads in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy
http://www.kinderpsychiater.org/
Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Leitenden Klinikärzte für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie e. V. (BAG); the association currently has 140 members. c/o Prof. Dr. Renate Schepker, ZfP Südwürttemberg, Weissenau, Weingartshofer Str. 2, D-88214 Ravensburg, Germany, phone: +49-751-76012789, fax: +49-751-76012121; Renate.Schepker@zfp-zentrum.de).
All three societies have regular national meetings.
The German Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry promotes a bi-yearly national congress for 1200 - 1500 participants; the two associations have annual meetings.
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Journals:
There are three journals covering the field of child and adolescent psychiatry in Germany:
1) "Zeitschrift für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie" ("Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy"; the official journal of the German Society, peer reviewed scientific journal;
http://www.verlag-hanshuber.com/zeitschriften/journal.php?abbrev=kij )2) "Praxis der Kinderpsychologie und Kinderpsychiatrie" ("Practice of Child Psychology and Child Psychiatry"; peer reviewed scientific journal;
http://www.v-r.de/de/zeitschriften/500024/ )3) "Forum" (Journal of the Professional Association;
http://www.kinderpsychiater.org/index.php5?x=/for.php5 )
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Post-graduate training and CME:
The post-graduate training schedule requires a total of five years of training for becoming a "Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist"; one year must be completed either in paediatrics or in general psychiatry. The training period ends with an oral board examination at the Medical Association of each federal state. Every year, 90-100 new specialists pass their exam, most of them female.
Continuity of training is provided for and controlled by the "Continuous Medical Education (CME) System" according to which all child and adolescent psychiatrists must fulfil defined criteria for continuous field-related training within 5-year-periods.
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Current situation of child psychiatric services:
In 2008, the German population encompassed 82.369.548 inhabitants, of whom approximately 14.500.000 were younger than 18 years, thus representing approximately 18 % of the total population. In 2009, child and adolescent psychiatric services included 133 child psychiatric hospitals and departments (5.600 inpatient beds, average stay 42 days), among them 25 university departments, 137 day care hospitals, 121 specialized outpatient units ("Institutsambulanzen") and 665 resident child and adolescent psychiatrists. Child and adolescent psychiatrists treat approximately 500.000 children and adolescents per year.
On a statistical basis, one child and adolescent psychiatrist is currently available per 20.000 children and adolescents under 18 years of age. The political goal is to establish five to seven inpatient beds per 100.000 inhabitants. Between the federal states of Germany, there is a great diversity in the number of specialists and hospital beds per 100,000 inhabitants, numbers vary three- to fourfold.
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Classification systems:
All German departments make use of the ICD-10 classification system in the multiaxial framework; DSM-IV-TR is used for scientific purposes. In most departments and many private practices, a standardized basic documentation system has been established ("BADO").
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Structure and organization of services:
There are mainly three types of child and adolescent psychiatric services:
- outpatient services
- day patient services
- inpatient services
Complementary and rehabilitative services (e. g. foster families, therapeutic and pedagogic homes, child guidance clinics, rehabilitation centres) are financed predominantly by the youth welfare system and provide care for children and adolescents with chronic psychiatric disorders.
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Funding of services:
Germany has a compulsory health insurance system. All children and adolescents are insured. Insurance companies pay the costs for outpatient, day patient or inpatient treatment. The youth welfare system and the social security system are responsible for funding of complementary and rehabilitative services required for the care of children and adolescents with chronic psychiatric disorders.
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Research:
During the past two decades, high-quality research has concentrated on the following four areas:
1. Classification and epidemiology of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders
2. Evaluation and quality control of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures (standardized diagnostic instruments, guidelines, standardized documentation; research in psychotherapy and psychopharmacology)
3. Psychosocial and biological factors and their interaction with respect to developmental psychopathology and the course of psychiatric disorders
4. Biologically oriented research including molecular genetics and brain imaging.
Research training seminars for young scientists have been initiated and promoted both on a national and international level.
All publications (original articles in English or German, reviews in English) involving German child and adolescent psychiatrists that were published between January 2003 and August 2008 have been listed and reviewed (see "Forschungsleistung der deutschen Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie 2003 - 2008, Hebebrand et al. [Ed.];
Download 
forschungsbericht-kjp2003-2008.pdf [2.678KB]
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