[Nutritional psychiatry and psychosomatics in the DACH region : Clinical treatment concepts and research at the university hospitals of Graz, Berlin and Zurich].

BACKGROUND

Individuals with mental disorders have an increased risk for metabolic disturbances, inflammation and nutrient deficiencies. Nevertheless, nutritional aspects have so far received little attention in psychiatric care. Nutritional psychiatry and nutritional psychosomatics (NP) combine psychiatry with nutritional and lifestyle medicine to systematically integrate the interaction of these domains into the diagnostics and therapy.

OBJECTIVE

Illustration of specialized structures and description of three outpatient clinics in the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland).

METHODS

Overview of scientific foundations, international trends and guidelines, along with a description of the clinics based on the locations.

RESULTS

The outpatient clinics represent complementary approaches: Graz focuses on nutrition and mental health, the gut-brain axis and integrative therapy; Berlin emphasizes micronutrient diagnostics and functional medicine; Zurich adopts an interdisciplinary, behaviorally and pharmacologically oriented approach. Together, they highlight the need for specialized, multiprofessional structures and scientific evaluation.

DISCUSSION: The discipline of NP opens up new avenues for prevention and personalized therapy. To meet the high demand and address existing challenges, greater capacity, interdisciplinary networks, health services research and integration into regional healthcare systems are needed. Close alignment of research and clinical practice is essential to sustainably establish evidence-based care concepts and teaching approaches in psychiatry.