_has_complained_about_the_shortage_of_funding_in_Austria. "The_Association_of_Austrian_Psychotherapists_(VÖPP)_has_complained_about_the_shortage_of_funding_in_Austria.")
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08. 06. 12. - 18:35
Psychotherapist demand more cash to tackle burnout
The Association of Austrian Psychotherapists (VÖPP) has complained about the shortage of funding in Austria.
In particular they complained about the fact that there is a rising number of people in need of psychological help to deal with mental problems.
They said that psychological problems are now the main reason for people being unfit for work. And they said that days off work because of psychological problems have now increased by 180 per cent in Austria since 1991.
And they say that on average people who take time off work because of psychological problems are gone from their employment for three times longer than somebody who is ill with a physical problem such as an illness.
According to President Jutta Fiegl: "The Austrian health-insurance services in 2009 paid around €250 million for medicaments to treat psychological problems – that is more than 10 times what they paid for psychotherapy.
She added: "Doctors that are confronted with psychological problems will just turn to the prescription pad without properly considering psychotherapy and that is not the right way to approach things.
"There are far too few therapy hours being paid for by the health service and it really is necessary to increase this."
Heiner Bartuska, who is the organisation's vice president, said that there were clear cost advantages in investing in psychotherapy as opposed to medicine in tackling psychological disorders.
"The myth that psychotherapy doesn't bring anything and simply cost money is rubbish. 95 per cent of cases patients see a clear benefit from psychotherapy."
The organisation highlighted the case of "Burn-out" that was increasingly in the news but which was something that people were still badly informed about.
