Anyone who is dependent on psychotherapeutic treatment has to wait an average of four months in Germany for the start of therapy. This was the result of research by the broadcaster RBB. The situation looks even bleaker for children and young people, explains Rebecca Riedelbauch. The child and adolescent psychotherapist worked from 2020 to 2022 as a Green City Councilor in Unterschleißheim. The municipal office gave her up in order to be able to cope with the increased demand in her practice in Neufahrn in the Freising district. “My colleagues and I are all completely overwhelmed,” says Riedelbauch.
According to the Appointment Service and Supply Act, psychotherapists have been obliged since 2019 to offer an appointment for an initial consultation within two weeks. The purpose of the first appointment is to determine whether there is a need for therapy. “I’ll do that, but I tell my callers directly that I don’t have a free therapy place for the next year and a half,” says Riedelbauch, “that’s completely utopian.” For the patients, this means enormous stress in order to find a place at all. If they are lucky, therapy is often associated with a long journey, which is difficult to integrate into everyday life. According to the therapist, people often have to deal with their illnesses on their own or take advantage of other counseling services.
As early as 2021, a survey by the University of Leipzig came to the conclusion that the waiting time for a therapy place for children and adolescents had increased from an average of 14 to 25 weeks within two years. Because the problem is not new, the Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists is now demanding that politicians urgently provide additional treatment places. Anyone who is mentally ill has had to search for a free treatment place for more than 20 years, which is unreasonably long, explains Chamber President Dietrich Munz in a statement.
Psychotherapist Rebecca Riedelbauch has resigned as a councilor in Unterschleißheim so that she can cope with the increasing demand for therapy places.
(Photo: private)
In her practice, Rebecca Riedelbauch treats young people from elementary school to 21 years of age. In this age group, the need for psychotherapeutic treatment is very pronounced. The therapist explains that the pandemic has exacerbated the already precarious situation. Riedelbauch notes that young people have suffered particularly from the Corona crisis: “They had to take on more personal responsibility through online teaching and at the same time give up many of their leisure activities that are very important for children.” The consequences were social anxiety, eating disorders and depression in her patients. Some children and young people have developed obsessive-compulsive disorders and feel they have to wash themselves constantly for fear of germs or infection, says the former city councilor.
The rejected patients should remain persistent
Riedelbauch felt the consequences of the war in Ukraine only to a limited extent in practice. However, young patients are burdened with the question of whether their lives will still be worth living in the future, “it’s similar to climate change”. This difficult time showed Riedelbauch how important her job is: “I’m looking forward to walking the path together with the children and young people for two or three years and observing a positive development.”
In order to be able to offer more places, the therapist is planning to open a new group practice with a colleague. However, the project planned for September has to be postponed to next year, as they have not yet found a suitable location for the practice in Neufahrn. According to the 39-year-old, moving to another municipality would first have to be applied for. Riedelbauch advises the patients she cannot take in to be persistent and keep calling the doctors. You could also contact the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians in Bavaria to get an appointment faster.
In Riedelbauch’s opinion, the profession of psychotherapist should be upgraded, for example through better pay. “We also need an urgent change in demand planning,” she says. The federal government’s coalition agreement also provides for an improvement in the care of mentally ill people. “The wait for psychotherapeutic treatment must finally come to an end,” demands the President of the Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists. Munz demands that the Federal Minister of Health must pass an emergency program this year that will enable more psychotherapeutic practices, especially in rural and structurally weak regions.