More than 500 psychotherapists protested in Berlin on Tuesday against planned cuts to their services and fees. The demonstration in front of the German Bundestag was organized by the German Society for Psychoanalysis, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics, and Depth Psychology (DGPT) together with nearly 30 other professional and specialist associations.
The associations warned of longer waiting times and a further shortage of therapy slots, even though the need for psychotherapy is increasing. Fees have been cut by 4.5 percent since April, and further cuts are threatened by the GKV Contribution Stabilization Act.
The cuts affect a professional group whose remuneration is already at the lower end of all outpatient specialist groups. Despite working full-time, psychotherapists earn only about half as much as general practitioners or other specialist groups. However, outpatient psychotherapy accounts for only about 0.7 percent of the total expenditure of the statutory health insurance funds.
Studies show that every euro invested in psychotherapy pays back threefold because follow-up costs such as chronification, hospital stays, work absences, and early retirement are avoided. Nevertheless, the planned restrictions mean that fewer services can be offered. The average waiting time for a therapy slot is currently 14 weeks, and children, adolescents, the elderly, and patients in rural areas are particularly affected.
The increase in expenditure for psychotherapy is not due to higher hourly fees, but to the significantly increased number of patients treated. This rose from 4.61 million in 2014 to 7.24 million ten years later. The growing demand is partly due to a destigmatization of mental illnesses and the long-term consequences of the Corona pandemic. However, the existing needs assessment is still largely based on data from 1998.
At the same time as the demonstration, the Petitions Committee of the Bundestag was deliberating on a petition with more than 140,000 signatures, which calls for adequate remuneration and the assurance of outpatient psychotherapeutic care.
As a scientific professional society and professional association, the DGPT represents the interests of over 3,700 psychological and medical members.
