The current Auditors’ report on child and adolescent psychiatric care illustrates the acute need for action: The number of inpatient children and adolescents has increased massively since the beginning of Covid 19 pandemic-especially in the case of anxiety disorders, depression and eating disorders. Many child and adolescent psychiatric institutions are overloaded, waiting times from several weeks to months are the rule when accessing cash-financed psychotherapy. For those affected, this means tightening the suffering and a delay urgently needed.
The Court of Auditors therefore recommend the expansion of psychosocial offers, multi-professional facilities, home-treat models and the implementation of cash-financed benefits in kind. The Austrian Federal Association for Psychotherapy (ÖBVP) expressly supports these recommendations and adds that psychotherapy has been anchored in the Austrian health system as a cash benefit for over 30 years, but has not yet been adequately implemented.
Psychotherapy is scientifically recognized, highly effective and plays a key role in the treatment of mental illnesses. “Mental ill people have a fundamental right to adequate treatment. Psychotherapy is often the means of choice and, in many cases, represents the most effective form of help. Psychotherapeutic treatment is not a luxury, but a necessary medical performance that serves to restore health, the preservation of human dignity and securing social participation,” explains ÖBVP President Barbara Haid.
Psychotherapy as an established supply offer in Austria – but not nationwide
The Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) currently provides round 104 million euros per year available for psychotherapy, a sum that has been gradually increased in recent years. Psychotherapy has been legally anchored as a treatment method in the Austrian health system for over 30 years (Section 135 (1a) ASVG), for which almost 13,000 psychotherapists are available throughout Austria. Nevertheless, the performance of “psychotherapy” has not yet been implemented as a nationwide benefit benefit. Instead, there is a complicated system of partial refunds and too few fully financed places including inhibiting framework conditions for the psychotherapists: inside. “This temporary has been disadvantaging patients for decades who rely on effective treatment. Psychotherapeutic care must not depend on income,” criticizes the ÖBVP president.
In the area of psychotherapy, the ÖBVP speaks out for the implementation of the following recommendations:
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it comprehensive expansion of cash -financed psychotherapy as a non -cash benefit
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die Integration of psychotherapist: inside in multi -professional care facilities
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die Available availability of home treatments
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it Removing the existing supply and access at the same way between federal states
“Access to outpatient and inpatient psychotherapy must be guaranteed for all those affected equally, promptly and comprehensively. In doing so, the framework conditions for the executing college must be designed in such a way that it is possible for them to offer supplies. Only in this way can a modern society do justice to their claim to solidarity and humanity. Because it is about humans!”
Austrian Federal Association for Psychotherapy
Mag.A Claudia Pokorny
Telephone: +43 676 369 46 85
E-mail: Oebvp.pokorny@psychotherapie.at
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