Allegations against child psychiatrists: The Winterhoff system continues

Despite massive criticism of Michael Winterhoff’s treatment methods, several youth welfare institutions continue to work with the Bonn child psychiatrist. Ministries and authorities seem in no hurry to clear up the scandal.

The HPW Dierdorf, a youth welfare organization in the Westerwald, presents itself as an ideal, colorful world with a blue, red and green house. The residential groups in Dierdorf are among the 20 to 30 youth welfare organizations that have been working with Michael Winterhoff for years. The well-known Bonn child and youth psychiatrist has researched by WDR and “Süddeutscher Zeitung” (SZ) issued highly controversial diagnoses to its young patients in the professional world and then treated them with medication.

Dozens of former patients report that he had already prescribed them the neuroleptic pipamperon when they were children. You should have taken the drug for years. According to the manufacturer, it has a sedating effect and can cause very serious side effects.

After his treatment methods became known, some youth welfare offices, institutions and youth welfare agencies announced that they would examine the allegations against Winterhoff. Others announced that they would stop working with him. HPW Dierdorf did not initially comment.

Medicines are still being administered

According to information from WDR and SZ there are still lists in the facility with the names of the children and adolescents and various medications they receive every day. In addition to all the names listed, there is the drug pipamperon and the respective dose. The children and adolescents are apparently given the remedy three times a day, one or one and a half tablets or five to ten milliliters of juice.

A father, whose child has lived in the facility for years, turned to the director when he heard about the Winterhoff case from the media. When asked, the institution said that it was taking the allegations against Winterhoff “very seriously”. The well-being of “the children entrusted to us” comes first. You have no influence on the medication of the children, the custodians decided about this “in dialogue with appropriate specialists”.

Parents and custodians of the children from the facility received a message from the director on Monday evening: A list of drugs had left the facility “in a way that is still unknown to us”. A lawyer would take care of the matter “and, if necessary, bring it to a criminal complaint.”

Institutions stick to cooperation

Other institutions are also behind the Bonn child psychiatrist and apparently want to stick to the long-term cooperation – such as the Kleine Muck eV in Bonn, who maintains the connection to the Winterhoff practice to this day.

The Kinderhof Campemoor, a facility near Osnabrück, wrote to parents and guardians about Winterhoff a few days ago. This letter was sent to him by a concerned father WDR. It says: You have been working intensively with the doctor for many years and “as we often think with good success”. For many children and adolescents, the focus is on the appearance of fixation in early childhood narcissism, “which Dr. Winterhoff described in detail in his books”.

It is a “transitional phase of psycho-sexual development in the second year of life”. If the child stops at this stage, a developmental disorder occurs. In most of these cases, Winterhoff uses pipamperon. The remedy improves “the emotional accessibility” of the children and adolescents, “in some cases noticeably.

Professional association contradicts Winterhoff

This corresponds to Winterhoff’s argument. He claims that the administration of the drug was often the prerequisite for therapeutic educational treatment. The professional and professional association for curative education (BHP) has contradicted this view. Remedial educational action concepts are based “on a large number of attachment and relationship-based, resource and participation-oriented approaches and not on the use of certain psychotropic drugs,” the association announced.

In its letter to the parents, the Kinderhof Campemoor also repeats Winterhoff’s statement that the administration of pipamperon is by no means about sedating the children. There is also a clear contradiction from the professional world. Renate Schepker, board member of the German Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, said that in this case Winterhoff would have had to prescribe the drug in much lower doses – and for a limited time, not for years, as he did. In child and adolescent psychiatry, the drug is now only used in emergencies, such as violent fits of anger.

Inaction in the authorities

The support of Winterhoff by some institutions is favored by the relative inactivity of the responsible authorities and ministries. There are several criminal charges against Winterhoff at the Bonn public prosecutor’s office. So far, they have only been checked, says a spokesman. The pile of files is likely to grow in the coming days: Other victims have hired lawyers to take action against Winterhoff and institutions cooperating with him.

The Ministry of Family Affairs in North Rhine-Westphalia, responsible for child protection, demanded a comprehensive and complete clarification shortly after the allegations of former patients became known. After all, home children needed “special protection”. Three weeks later, the ministry has still not made up its mind to take the investigation into its own hands. A spokesman said that reports from the responsible state youth welfare offices are currently being evaluated.

Ministry sees no threat

The family ministry of Rhineland Palatinate, in whose catchment area the HPW Dierdorf falls, states that homes and facilities are asked about cooperation with Winterhoff. The responses are “not yet complete”. Apparently there is no acute risk to the child’s welfare here.

At the same time contact the WDR Affected families, therapists and educators confirm that children and adolescents in Michael Winterhoff’s facilities are still being treated with Pipamperon. The Medical Association of North Rhine-Westphalia, which had already been published in ARD and SZ had been informed about the grievances only now – three months after the complaint of a former patient of Winterhoff – asked for her patient file to be sent.