[Psychotherapy for patients with schizophrenic disorders: results of an inquiry with Austrian psychotherapists].

OBJECTIVE

To assess the extent to which persons suffering from schizophrenia are treated by psychotherapy in Austria

METHODS

A questionnaire was sent to all psychotherapists who were registered according to the Austrian law for psychotherapy

RESULTS

5741 questionnaires were mailed and 1683 (29.3%) were returned. Of the answering psychotherapists 59% had done psychotherapy with a person suffering from schizophrenia before. 47% treated at least one client with a schizophrenic disorder during the last year. The methods applied by psychotherapists who had treated schizophrenic persons before were psychodynamic psychotherapy (30%), humanistic psychotherapy (35%), systemic psychotherapy (25%), behavior therapy (13%) and eclectic psychotherapy (25%). 59% of the participating psychotherapists stated that they would be willing to treat (further) persons suffering from schizophrenia. Most (84%) participants considered a special qualification for the psychotherapeutic treatment of schizophrenic persons as necessary, but 70% said that this topic was not covered sufficiently during training for psychotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Among Austrian psychotherapist there is considerable interest in treatment of schizophrenic persons. There is a gap between the recommended treatments for schizophrenia according to EBM criteria and everyday practice.