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Dialectical behavioral therapy for complex posttraumatic stress disorders (DBT-PTSD) is a modular treatment program that was developed at the Central Institute for Mental Health at the University of Heidelberg, Germany in 2005-2021. DBT-PTSD is designed to meet the needs of patients with complex PTSD related to sexual or physical trauma in childhood and adolescence. It is specifically designed for patients suffering from severe emotional dysregulation, persistent self-injury, chronic suicidal ideation, severe dissociative symptoms and a markedly negative self-concept with a high level of guilt, shame, self-loathing and interpersonal problems. To address these different core symptoms, DBT-PTSD combines evidence-based therapeutic strategies: principles, rules, and skills of DBT, trauma-specific cognitive and exposure-based techniques, imaginative interventions and procedures for behavioral change. The treatment program is designed to be carried out in an outpatient (45 weeks) or residential (12 weeks) setting. The results from two randomized controlled trials showed large effect sizes across very different symptom domains and a significant superiority of DBT-PTSD over Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). Based on these results, DBT-PTSD is currently a promising evidence-based treatment program for all features of a complex PTSD after sexual abuse in childhood and adolescence., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature.)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic represents a significant psychological burden for many people; however, especially during the first wave of the pandemic in Germany, little acute professional help was available for people in need., Objective: In southern Germany, a telephone hotline for psychological first aid for COVID-19-related burdens was set up under the lead of the Baden-Wuerttemberg Ministry of Social Affairs and Integration, opened to the entire population and evaluated in April 2020., Material and Methods: In the period from 22 April to 24 July 2020, 753 volunteer psychotherapeutically trained counselors from different professional groups answered a total of 8096 calls., Results: Depression symptoms (36%), anxiety symptoms (18%) and psychotic symptoms (19%) were most frequently reported. Every second call was related to a previous mental illness. During the counseling sessions, which lasted 25 min on average, a variety of psychological acute interventions were conducted. In the presence of unclear symptoms, psychotic symptoms or severe personality disorder symptoms, the counselors were able to help significantly less compared to the remaining calls in which other clearly defined symptoms were present., Conclusion: The results point to both the benefits and limitations of hotline services. The major benefits relate to the fast availability and effective professional help for people with clearly characterized symptoms. In the case of unclear or complex symptoms, immediate help by telephone seems to be possible only to a limited extent, but it could initiate access to further help offers. Overall, the results of this study provide a first indication that hotline services for psychological first aid are feasible under pandemic conditions., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Severe disorders of emotion regulation, e.g. in the context of mental illnesses, such as borderline disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and complex posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), often begin in childhood and adolescence and influence the psychosocial development of those affected, often into adulthood. Professional treatment therefore often requires longer term planning, if possible from a single source. The sectorized structure of the current psychiatric healthcare system, however, makes this process more difficult or is even a hindrance and promotes high hospitalization rates and chronification. The concept of the Adolescents Center for Disorders of Emotion Regulation at the Central Institute of Mental Health functions as a model concept for long-term, cross-sectoral treatment structures. A constant treatment team from child, adolescent and adult psychiatry and psychotherapy provides evidence-based psychotherapy according to the guidelines of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for those affected between the ages of 16 and 24 years. Conceptually, inpatient, day care and staged outpatient treatment modules complement each other in order to not only provide psychotherapy to the young patients in this important phase of life but also to accompany and support them in completing school and training, in partnership and independent living.

Background: Borderline personality disorder (BPS) is considered as a severe mental disorder with a high burden for patients, family members and the healthcare system. Recent years have brought significant advances in understanding and treating BP, leading to an earlier diagnosis and better treatment outcomes., Objective: This article outlines the current state of knowledge on the epidemiology, diagnostics, psychopathology and treatment of BPD and identifies open questions., Material and Methods: Based on a literature search in the PubMed, PsycINFO and EMBASE databases, the latest developments in the topic of BPD for the areas of diagnostics, epidemiology, etiology and treatment are illuminated in a narrative review. Where possible systematic review articles, meta-analyses and evidence-based practice guidelines were also considered., State of the Science: At the core of BPS are disorders of emotion regulation, self-image, and interpersonal interaction. The suicide rates range from 2% to 5% and life expectancy is significantly shortened compared with the general population. The effectiveness of differentiated, disorder-specific psychotherapy (especially dialectic behavioral therapy, DBT) is well established. Psychotherapeutic care in the outpatient sector, especially in the field of pediatric and adolescent psychiatry, is still insufficient., Perspectives: Questions about the etiopathology, especially genetic and postulated neurobiological parameters that determine affective hypersensitivity, are largely open. Nosologically, the differentiation from comorbid complex posttraumatic stress disorder (cPTSD) is certainly an important issue, which also has therapeutic consequences.

Background: Internet-based self-management interventions are effective in the prevention and treatment of mental disorders; however, for those affected as well as treating clinicians and decision makers in the healthcare sector, it is difficult to identify safe and effective interventions., Aim: Development of quality criteria for self-management interventions., Methods: Based on a non-specific assessment matrix, a task force from two scientific societies formulated specific quality criteria for self-management interventions for mental disorders. Patients and other relevant stakeholders were involved in the process., Results: A total of 8 key criteria with 17 subordinate points were developed. These must be met for the certification of an intervention. The criteria focus on therapeutic quality requirements, patient safety, data protection and security as well as proof of efficacy in at least one randomized study. A further five criteria are only descriptive and are not required for certification., Discussion: These quality criteria serve as a starting point for the establishment of a certification process. This could help to make internet-based self-management interventions for mental disorders part of routine care in the German healthcare system.

Background: Mental disorders are frequently not or only insufficiently treated. Internet-based interventions offer the potential of closing the existing gaps in the treatment of mental disorders; however, it is very difficult for patients and providers to choose from the numerous interventions available., Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a set of quality criteria that can help patients and care providers to identify recommendable internet-based interventions., Methods: A selective literature search was carried out and the existing evidence on internet-based interventions in the treatment of mental disorders was collated. A panel of experts then developed quality criteria based on existing models for the systematic assessment of telemedicine applications., Results: Internet-based interventions are effective in the treatment of a broad range of mental disorders. The best evidence is available for depression and anxiety disorders. A set of criteria is proposed for the evaluation of available internet-based interventions using a checklist. These criteria have to be developed further with input from other stakeholders., Discussion: When taking these quality criteria into account, evidence-based interventions available on the internet can make an important contribution to improvement of the care of patients with mental disorders.

Background: Borderline personality disorders (BPD) are severe mental diseases which place high pressure on the psychiatric healthcare system. Nowadays, well-tested, disorder-specific treatment concepts are available also for inpatient treatment in Germany. These show very good and long-term improvements in the psychopathology as well as posttreatment social participation; however, prerequisites for the implementation of these evidence-based inpatient psychotherapy programs are well-trained treatment teams and appropriate financing of resource expenditure., Objective: The aim was to formulate a definition of normative needs for treatment duration and intensity for a guideline-conform, empirically proven and effective inpatient treatment of borderline personality disorder as well as the derived personnel requirements in comparison to the currently available resources within the framework of the Psychiatry Personnel Act (Psych-PV)., Material and Methods: The resource requirements were established based on evaluated hospital ward models, the recommendations of the S2 guidelines and the criteria of specialist societies and compared with the personnel stipulations according to the Psych-PV., Results: The results for a normatively established treatment program showed a pronounced deficit in the financing of the evaluated resource requirements, even when the stipulations laid down in the Psych-PV were implemented to 100 %., Discussion: Disorder-specific inpatient treatment programs for borderline personality disorder have been scientifically proven to be highly effective; however, resource analyses show that the personnel requirements necessary for effective implementation of these programs are much higher than those allocated by the funding according to the Pysch-PV. The current underfunding leads to inadequate treatment outcomes with high readmission rates and as a result high direct and indirect costs of illness.

People with severe mental disorders have a reduction in life expectancy of 13-30 % compared with the general population. This severe disadvantage is primarily due to an increased prevalence of cardiac and metabolic disorders, especially coronary heart disease (CHD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus and are the result of untoward health behavior characterized by smoking, low levels of physical activity and unhealthy dietary habits. Obesity, arterial hypertension and lipid disorders are also associated with this behavior and further increase the risk of CHD and type 2 diabetes. Thus, people with mental disorders constitute a population with a high risk of cardiovascular events. Appropriate measures for prevention and therapy are urgently indicated but rarely applied. This article presents new organizational structures to overcome this deficit with a prevention manager playing a central role in organizing and applying preventive and therapeutic care. Results from cardiology and diabetic medicine have shown the effectiveness of pooling this responsibility. The measure has the potential to reduce the increased mortality of people with severe mental disorders.

In the context of continuing education in psychiatry and psychotherapy, modular psychotherapy is of special importance. In modular psychotherapy, general interventions, e.g. for regulation of emotions, have an important function. In this review examples are given to describe the importance of neurobiology for the understanding and the improvement of these mechanisms. In addition, the use of neurobiological investigations within classical psychotherapy trials in the fields of borderline personality disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder will be depicted.

Mindfulness-based psychotherapy is rooted in the Far East meditation culture. In the context of psychotherapy mindfulness-based treatment programs mostly include mindfulness as modular components aiming at acceptance of aversive circumstances or emotions and on improvement of metacognitive awareness. Currently there are five mindfulness-based concepts with different proof of effectiveness: mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) can be classified as effective in reducing the risk of relapse in patients with recurrent depression, whereas the popular mindfulness-based stress reduction program (MBSR) reveals only small effect sizes. In summary, mindfulness used as one component in modular conceptualized treatment programs seems to be both acceptable and effective.

With a lifetime prevalence of about 3%, borderline personality disorder is a frequent and often debilitating psychiatric disorder, especially during adolescence. Most features of typical borderline pathology can be classified into three dimensions: disturbed affect regulation, identity disturbance and problems in social interaction. Within the last decade several treatment programs have been tailored to the specific needs of borderline therapy and three of them have meanwhile shown empirically proven evidence: dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), mentalization-based therapy (MBT) and schema therapy. Although the studies showed clear superiority of specifically designed treatment programs compared to non-structured standard care, implementation of these programs in the German health care system is far from sufficient. Only one out of every thousand patients suffering from borderline personality disorder receives evidence-based outpatient psychotherapy. This is mirrored by the annual costs for inpatient treatment extending to 4 billion Euros, which is approximately 20% of the total costs for psychiatric care in Germany.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe psychiatric disorder accounting for about 30% of the total cost for psychiatric inpatient care in the Federal Republic of Germany. Suicidality, self-harm, and severe deterioration of self-esteem lead to chronic suffering for patients and the social environment. With a prevalence rate of 1.5%, BPD is more frequent than schizophrenic disorders. Within the last years, empirically based knowledge concerning the psychopathology, etiopathogenesis, and treatment of BPD have significantly improved. Today most researchers postulate pervasive affective dysregulation at the core of borderline symptomatology and see it as the consequence of an interplay between genetic vulnerability, sociobiographic experience, and dysfunctional behavior. Disorder-specific psychotherapeutic treatments, especially dialectical behavior therapy, show significant improvements in both in- and outpatient settings. Studies on psychopharmacological treatment with promising results have also recently been published. Sufficient outpatient treatment by trained psychotherapists is underdeveloped. Hence, specialized inpatient centers assume this task.

Dissociative symptoms including flashbacks, i.e. vivid scenic recollections of traumatic episodes, in patients with Borderline Personality Disorder are a serious and often treatment-refractory problem. There is evidence suggesting changes in endogenous opioids in patients with Borderline Personality Disorder. Naltrexone, an opioid receptor antagonist, was administered to three female patients with Borderline Personality Disorder in a dosage of 50 mg (q.i.d.,p.o.) over several weeks. We observed a marked reduction in dissociative symptoms.

M. Linehan developed "dialectical behavioral therapy" specifically to treat chronically suicidal borderline patients. It rests on a biosocial model that assumes a disorder in the regulation of emotions and in tolerance of stress. The numerous dysfunctional patterns of behavior such as self-destructive behavior, inability to govern impulses or severe dissociative phenomena are regarded as attempts at problem-solving. This concept of therapy focuses on the continuing balance between the necessity of accepting maladaptive behavior patterns in both an intrapsychic and an interactional context while still working to change them. A comprehensive manual outlines the clearly structured therapy and integrates a wide choice of therapeutic strategies. Parallel to development of the therapy itself, a method also was developed for testing therapist adherence to the manual's guidelines, thus providing a basis for empirical evaluation. An initial controlled, randomized study demonstrated the significant superiority of this method to methods of unspecific psychotherapy at various levels. In the current endeavor to develop disorder-specific approaches to the treatment of personality disorders, "dialectical behavioral therapy" is a noteworthy model.