[The Development of Medication and Psychotherapy from 1952 to 1957 in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics Weissenau and Gütersloh].

The Development of Medication and Psychotherapy from 1952 to 1957 in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics Weissenau and Gütersloh Abstract.

Objective

As a result of recent discussions concerning the misuse of medication in children in postwar Germany, the paper analyzes the treatment methods, especially psychopharmacotherapy, as well as therapeutic approaches employed in two German child and adolescent psychiatric hospitals (Weissenau and Guetersloh). We investigated the progression of prescription and the administration of psychotropic and experimental drugs between 1952 and 1957.

Methods

In total, 966 health records were extensively studied for the time period in question.

Results

The use of psychotropic drugs was similar in both hospitals, yet even at that time the use of already established psychotropic drugs differed depending on the concept. Medication-induced fever and shock therapy via insulin were still in use in 1957. Occasionally, initial concepts of a therapeutic treatment approach were observed. Both institutions administered experimental drugs, albeit not in systematic clinical trials.

Conclusion

The varying methods of treatment and medication strategies reflect the different setup and concept of the respective hospitals. Indications of dangerous medication trials were not detected. Keywords: child and adolescence psychiatry, psychotropic drugs, neuroleptics, experimental drugs, treatment methods.