150 years of psychiatry in Schussenried: A look at dark chapters

150 years of psychiatry in Schussenried: A look at dark chapters

Bad Schussenried, Deutschland - On March 9, 1875, the “Royal Healing and Nursing Institute Schussenried” was founded under King Karl Württemberg. This institutional institution has changed significantly since then and is now known as the Center for Psychiatry Südwürttemberg (ZFP). The reason for a big festival was the anniversary of the foundation, in which historian Bernd Reichelt and Prof. Thomas Müller highlighted the eventful history of the facility, as the Screen newspaper

were the first treatment methods in the medicinal facility even more rudimentary, with insulating cells and sedatives, the development was not long in coming. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, so -called “agricoles of colonies” were introduced, which relied on work therapy. However, a serious shadow on the history of the facility fell in the Third Reich: between 1934 and 1939, compulsory sterilization took place, and the notorious "Action T4" led to the mass murder of mentally ill in 1940. 619 patients were deported from Schussenried. A total of between 250,000 and 300,000 mentally ill fell victim to the National Socialists' euthanasia program, such as the DGPPN documented.

conscience of a dark past

As part of the "Action T4", the decisions about the life or death of the patients were largely made by psychiatrists, who were often not personally in contact with the patients. These murders were legalized by a letter of authorization in Hitler. The murderous practices did not only take place in the German Empire; Numerous patients were also murdered in occupied areas. Affected people suffered cruelty through gasification, medication or insufficient nutrition. The medical recording of the patients on the basis of these decisions is still a sad chapter in the history of psychiatry that we should not forget.

After the war, the facility experienced renewal - the dominance of the work therapy and the introduction of psychotropic drugs in the 1950s shaped the medical orientation. The hospital landscape changed, in 1970 the social service became an important player in psychiatry and in 1980 the "Freundeskreis Bad Schussenried", today known as "Bela e.V.". An important innovation was the training course for nursing professions, which was introduced in 1961 in the Schussenried PLK.

Current challenges and outlook

Currently, the facility 99 includes outpatient clients and 48 in stationary residential groups, while the clinic has 150 beds. There are an additional 180 places available in forensic psychiatry. A total of around 1,300 employees work in the institution, including 1,100 in the medical field and 85 trainees. Managing Director Dr. Dieter Grupp emphasizes the need for reforms in forensics, while Mayor Achim Deinet demands more therapy places in other parts of the country. A look at past mistakes shows the way into a better future.

The examination of the past is important for both the institutions and society to prevent historical mistakes from repeating themselves. It is time to pay more attention to the victims and to implement the teachings from history so that we do not forget what happened.