ENA German mental hospital treats severe mental illness on an inpatient, day-clinic or outpatient basis and admits patients from abroad only for planned, voluntary treatment. This page is for families who start looking for a German mental hospital when a relative’s severe depression, psychotic episode, bipolar disorder or eating disorder has not improved with help at home. The term sounds frightening, yet general and university hospitals also run psychiatric departments, and many wards are open.
Below: which clinic fits which problem, forms of care, diagnosis and treatment, specialists and arrangements. Addiction treatment has its own page; emergencies are for local emergency services.
Psychiatry, psychosomatic medicine, psychotherapy: which clinic for which problem
Psychiatry in Germany is divided into three medical specialties: general psychiatry for severe mental illness, psychosomatic medicine for distress expressed through the body, and child and adolescent psychiatry. The first two are Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie) and Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy (Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie). Psychiatrists treat psychoses and schizophrenia, when a person loses touch with reality; bipolar disorder, with depression alternating with unusual highs; severe depression that drains energy and interest; and suicidal crises. If suicidal thoughts are present now, call local emergency services: 112 in Germany and across the EU.
Psychosomatic medicine treats physical complaints such as pain, palpitations or digestive problems that organ disease alone does not explain, plus anxiety disorders, eating disorders and exhaustion after long stress. Treatment rests mainly on psychotherapy.
Addiction has its own clinics; see addiction treatment. Children and adolescents go to child and adolescent psychiatry, such as the Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy at Helios Klinikum Berlin-Buch. If memory loss or a first seizure suggests a neurological cause, neurologists are involved; see neurology in Germany.
Inpatient, day clinic, outpatient: forms of care in a mental hospital in Germany
A mental hospital in Germany offers inpatient, day-clinic and outpatient care, chosen by severity. Inpatient stays usually last several weeks. Open wards are not locked; protected (closed) wards serve acute crises in which a person might harm themselves or others, with restricted exits and closer supervision. Once the condition stabilises, treatment can move to an open ward or a day clinic.
A day clinic (Tagesklinik) provides daytime therapy, with nights at home or in a hotel, so patients from abroad need accommodation nearby. Kliniken Schmieder, for example, run one in Stuttgart under the medical lead of Dr. Asta Kaufmann, a neurologist and psychiatrist; it mainly treats neurological patients, so it shows how the format works, not where to treat mental illness. Psychiatric hospitals also run institute outpatient clinics (PIA) for severe or long-lasting illness.
A planned stay from abroad requires the patient’s consent and willingness to take part in therapy. If a life is in danger now, for example when someone talks about suicide, call local emergency services instead of planning a trip.
Diagnosis and treatment
Diagnosis rests mainly on a detailed psychiatric interview about symptoms, their onset and earlier treatment, plus psychological tests such as questionnaires. Physical causes are checked with blood tests and, where indicated, brain imaging or an EEG, a recording of the brain’s electrical activity.
Treatment usually combines medication and psychotherapy. Antidepressants treat depression, mood stabilisers steady the mood swings of bipolar disorder, and antipsychotics treat psychoses. Psychotherapy runs individually and in groups, alongside occupational, art and exercise therapy. The psychiatrist, a doctor, makes the diagnosis and prescribes medication; psychotherapy is provided by medical psychotherapists and by psychological psychotherapists (Psychologische Psychotherapeuten), state-licensed psychologists who do not prescribe; more on psychotherapists. For depression unresponsive to treatment, the German clinical guideline on depression recommends offering electroconvulsive therapy under brief anaesthesia.
Psychotherapy works through conversation, and interpreting has limits: nuances get lost and group sessions suffer. So before admission the clinic clarifies which therapists are available and in which language.
University psychiatry and specialists in Germany
German psychiatry has long academic roots. In 1811 Johann Christian August Heinroth took the chair of “psychic therapy” at Leipzig University, which calls it the world’s first chair of psychiatry. Würzburg founded its first psychiatric clinic at the Juliusspital in 1833, and Freiburg opened a psychiatric clinic in the Herdern district in 1887. Today university hospitals such as Tübingen have their own psychiatry and psychotherapy clinics.
Three specialists show how psychiatry in Germany is divided. Prof. Thomas Hillemacher has headed the Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at Klinikum Nürnberg since 2017, including geriatric psychiatry and addiction medicine. Prof. Bernd Löwe directs psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf. Prof. Ulrich Voderholzer, a psychiatrist and psychotherapist, is chief physician at Schön Klinik Roseneck.
Large general hospitals also have psychiatric departments, such as the Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at Sana Klinikum Offenbach.
Frequently asked questions
Can a relative be admitted to a psychiatric clinic without their consent?
Not for planned treatment: coming to Germany for psychiatric care requires the patient’s own consent. German law allows treatment against a person’s will only in exceptional cases of serious danger, under court supervision. Families can help by gathering records, talking to a doctor and supporting their relative’s decision.
How long does treatment in a mental hospital take?
An inpatient stay usually lasts several weeks; the doctor sets the exact length as treatment progresses, and a day clinic can follow. Patients from abroad should discuss the expected length early, because the visa, accommodation and cost estimate depend on it.
Can therapy be done in English or another language?
It depends on the clinic, so ask before admission. Examinations, talks with the doctor and medication can be handled through an interpreter. Psychotherapy is harder, as nuances get lost in translation. The clinic says in advance which therapists are available in which language.
How AlenMed arranges psychiatric treatment in Germany
AlenMed translates medical reports, previous diagnoses and the current medication list and sends them to suitable clinics. The clinic decides whether and in which form admission makes sense and issues an official cost estimate (Kostenvoranschlag). The bill depends mainly on the form of care, inpatient or day clinic, and the number of days. Patients from abroad pay according to the estimate; for care outside hospital, see the cost of psychotherapy in Germany.
Once a clinic agrees, we arrange the visa invitation, medical interpreters and accommodation for accompanying relatives. AlenMed’s office is in Munich; partner clinics are across Germany.
At discharge, the patient receives a translated discharge letter and a follow-up plan for a psychiatrist at home.
This material is for reference only and is not an offer. Treatment is decided by a doctor after an in-person examination.