More offers of help than with affected adults
According to Knappe, there are more contact points and treatment offers in the children and youth sector than among adults who suffer from a mental illness. “We have the pediatric and youth medical services, the offers of the health department, the youth welfare office, the many porters, day-care and in-patient offers – so the range is much more diverse and larger. So we have always been on a good side so far. It was not so that everyone got something straight away, but the waiting time was well below what is known for the adult sector. ”
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According to Barmer, a reform of the Psychotherapy Directive in 2017 also made it easier to access psychotherapeutic care. Since then, therapists have been offering not only classic psychotherapy, consisting of short and long-term therapy, but also psychotherapeutic consultation hours and acute consultation hours. In this way, it can be clarified at an early stage whether and which treatment is necessary. They also served to bridge the waiting times until the start of a necessary therapy.
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The number of therapists has increased
At the same time, the number of psychotherapists who specifically look after adolescents has increased, according to the Barmer. In 2013, around 940 therapists took care of the mental health of children, adolescents and young adults in Saxony; in 2019 there were already around 1,270. This enabled access to therapeutic care for more than 36,000 adolescents, compared to around 21,300 in 2016.
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However, according to the psychologists Knappe and Ebhardt, the wide range of care is especially available in the big cities. In rural areas, the situation could be completely different: Long journeys would have to be accepted and that alone could be a challenge for families.
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Corona ensures extended therapies
Whether city or country – the corona pandemic has also left its mark in areas with a wide range of offers. In the first half of 2020, no major changes were felt, reports Knappe. But in the meantime she is observing it differently: “In the current clinical work, I experience that patients stay longer in treatment because we may have to change something in the treatment plan and discuss current issues. New topics are opening up. And we are also noticing that we sometimes have difficulties in handing the children over to inpatient treatment if necessary, because the beds may have been reduced there. Or because the staff also has to be reduced because they are deployed in other wards. ”
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Demand: prevention in childhood
Psychologist Knappe calls for a rethink so that psychological problems in childhood and adolescence are recognized early and do not worsen: “It would be desirable that a few measures are taken now. Mental health is of no importance. Children get prevention for teeth a police officer comes and tells something about violence prevention or substance use. But is the field much larger: What do I do with performance anxiety, stress? How can I grow up healthy? What can I do when I feel bad? The curriculum is full “I don’t know where you can integrate it either. You probably have to sort things out a bit in other places and see where there is room for it.”
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