Diagnostic & treatment

​Patients often present with the following illnesses and disorders:

• Feeding problems in infants
• Crying and sleeping problems in young babies
• Reactive attachment disorder
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Conduct disorder
• Attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity
• Psychosis
• Anorexia nervosa
• Bulimia nervosa
• Binge eating disorders
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Dissociative disorders

​Children and adolescents can report to our outpatient clinic for psychiatric diagnosis and treatment. Whenever possible, children and adolescents should remain at home, i.e. in familiar surroundings, during the diagnostic and treatment phase. Usually there will be a certain delay after registration before the patient can be seen for the first time in our outpatient clinic. We do however set aside special times for emergency appointments which are available at short notice in urgent situations, such as if there has been an acute deterioration in mood, the patient is expressing suicidal thoughts, or their behavioural problems are reaching a crisis point.

Children and adolescents will normally have to attend several psychiatric consultations before we get to the root of their problems. This usually starts with a detailed record being made of the patient's symptoms and medical history. More detailed examinations may then be conducted, such as psychological testing or instrumental examinations. Once these are concluded, a suggestion will be made to the affected child or adolescent and their parents about the best form of treatment to pursue. It is important that the child / adolescent is well prepared by their parents or other carers for their first appointment. They should be told very candidly that they are to have a consultation with a specialist doctor to identify the cause of their emotional distress so that it can be treated. Working together in a trusting and honest environment lays the foundations for a successful course of treatment.

​Children / adolescents receiving day-care treatment attend our special clinic every weekday (Monday to Friday) from 8 am to 4 pm. Such treatment is indicated if the patient's emotional problems are affecting their everyday lives to such an extent that they are no longer able to attend kindergarten or school or participate in other day-to-day activities. As well as providing medical, psychological and psychotherapeutic diagnosis and treatment, we can offer children and adolescents a structured daily schedule, which usually includes attending the hospital's own nursery or school, and monitor the way in which they deal with all of their day-to-day concerns.

​Inpatient psychiatric treatment for children and adolescents may become necessary if

• their symptoms are severe
• they are failing to respond to the care and support they receive in their familiar environment.

Inpatient treatment is provided

- in our inpatient department for children

- in our inpatient department for adolescents.

The wards are on the third floor of House 6, Liebigstrasse 20a. From autumn 2018, we will be admitting children and adolescents with a combination of mental and physical disorders to our combined paediatric ward for psychiatric/psychosomatic patients in House 7.

The decision to treat a child or adolescent as an inpatient is not taken lightly. In each case, our doctors will draw up a detailed report recommending admission, which will be discussed with the patient and their parents prior to hospitalisation. New patients will initially undergo a diagnostic phase in an inpatient environment, before a longer-term treatment programme is proposed to them and their parents. A multi-professional interdisciplinary team works in our paediatric wards, consisting of doctors, psychologists, specialist nurses, educationalists and therapists of various kinds (occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech therapists and art therapists). Each child or adolescent will be assigned a doctor or psychologist who will take charge of their case and provide treatment, as well as a nursing/educational caregiver. These will be the people to contact during every stage of therapeutic treatment and nursing care, or if you have any questions regarding educational issues. It is very important for parents to cooperate; doctor-parent discussions are offered, as are support groups.

​In the case of infants and small children in particular, the mother / father or other primary caregiver may also be admitted during the treatment, so that the child can continue to be cared for by someone they trust. The parents will then be closely involved in the child's treatment and care.

​One of our department's areas of expertise is the use of psychotherapy to treat emotional disorders in children and adolescents. Psychotherapists can call on scientifically-proven forms of treatment for emotional disorders, and use targeted methods such as talking, craftwork and / or playing (especially in the case of children). The relationship between the therapist and the child/adolescent lies at the heart of the psychotherapy. Discussions are held with the parents to involve them in the treatment process as it progresses.

There are various psychotherapeutic methods which can be deployed in our department, depending on the patient's individual needs. Psychoanalysis regards mental illness as a manifestation of subconscious conflicts which must be dealt with. Behavioural therapies view mental disorders as the result of a dysfunctional learning process which must be reversed. Once we have made a careful diagnosis, we provide both short-term and long-term psychotherapy. The therapist and the patient meet at regular scheduled intervals to work together on tackling the problem. Although the subjects under discussion may sometimes be painful to talk about, it is important for the child / adolescent and their parents to attend every appointment and participate actively in the treatment process.

​If so warranted by the degree and severity of the mental disorder, use of the appropriate ('psychotropic') drugs may be indicated. Medication of this type can help in the case of serious depression, attention deficit problems, poor impulse control and / or delusions, etc. Since all of these drugs can affect the developing brain, we are very cautious about prescribing them for young patients. It is important for the parents and child / adolescent to be well informed about how they work and their side-effects, and for a joint decision to be reached about treatment with psychotropic drugs. It is equally important that the drugs are then taken regularly as prescribed by the doctor.