Affektive Disorders
On this site you find information abouut affektive disorders and their treatment.
"Affective disorders" are disorders that are primarily related to changes in mood and drive. They comprise depressive disorders and bipolar disorder.
Further, we treat patients with anxiety and panic disorders.
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Our Concept
"Affective disorders" belong to a group of mental health disorders in which a person's mood and drive are pathologically altered. Various disorders are counted among this category, ranging from unipolar depressive disorders (e.g. depression, major depression) to bipolar affective (earlier called manic-depressive) disorders. However we do not constrain our treatments regarding these particular syndromes, but also treat patients with comorbid anxiety symptoms or disorders (e.g. generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder).
Our therapeutic options range from outpatient and day-clinic to inpatient care. Currently a total number of 32 inpatient beds and 10 day-clinic places are available in our two clinical units, providing widespread care in mulitple settings. We work together closely with psychiatrists and other health care professionals in the local community, who are able to refer patients for hospital admission or to our specialist consultation service. Patients are able to engage the services of our "Erste Hilfe" (24 hours per day, 365 days per year) for assessment and advice.
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Inpatient Treatment Options
Our treatment consists of a comprehensive care plan. It involves assessing the individual severity and symptoms as well as discussing the illness and treatment options with the patient.
We have implemented an individualized treatment program for patients with depression, including pharmacotherapy, cognitive behavioural group therapy, individual psychotherapeutic interventions, psychoeducational courses, group activities, ergotherapy, sports and physiotherapy, as well as a variety of additional treatment options e.g. meditation and relaxation techniques. All therapies are available to inpatients, outpatients and patients in our day clinic.
Our psychotherapeutic treatment options range from psychoeducation groups and multiple psychotherapeutic small-groups focusing on depression, anxiety disorders and bipolar disorders, to medical and psychological individual therapy. All therapies are based exclusively on cognitive behavioural therapeutic concepts, whereby individual stress-factors such as partnership conflicts or financial difficulties are taken into consideration.
In addition to modern antidepressants, mood stabilisers and supportive medications, sleep-withdrawal and light therapy are also implemented. Brain stimulation techniques (electro-convulsive therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation, vagus nerve stimuation, deep brain stimulation) are offered, too. Manic disorders are treated innovatively, often in the context of studies.
Our nursing team implemented the system of supportive care, in which a patient is constantly support by a nurse. They encourage and assist the patients, for example in helping them plan their weekly therapies. Furthermore, the nursing team often leads or co-leads many group therapies on offer, such as culture, literature, sport, relaxation and concentration-training groups.
Out-patient consultation
In our specialist outpatient consultations we focus on offering advice particularly to patients with unipolar or bipolar depression. If you wish to attend one of our consultations, please arrange a referral from your community psychiatrist.
All therapeutic approaches are available through our consultation service for "affective disorders", including behavioural group therapy and pharmacotherapy, this also in the context of current studies. At the moment, two studies, which are supported by the DFG, are conducted in order to investigate the effects of stress hormones on memory function in depressed patients.
The specialist consultation service for "brain stimulation techniques" focusses on treatment-resistant depression. Techniques such as Electro-Convulsive Therapy, Deep Brain Stimulation and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation are employed.