Psychotherapeutic aspects in the inpatient treatment of acutely psychiatric adolescents

In the inpatient treatment of acute psychiatric episodes in children und ad olescents, the psychiatrist must set up an initial treatment plan incorpora ting one or more psychotherapeutic modalities and adapt this plan to the pa tient's clinical course. This article summarises the clinical experience of a model unit at the University of Heidelberg, the result of a collaboratio n between the Department of General Psychiatry and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Clinic of Psychiatry. A series of 116 adol escent admissions was reviewed for clinical diagnosis, the nature and frequ ency of psychotherapeutic modalities, and the role of family involvement in patient care. Differential and adaptative approaches to the selection of t reatment modalities in the context of an acute care setting are emphasised.