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The foundation of a German Society of Biological Psychiatry (DGBP) was initiated at the Second World Congress of Biological Psychiatry of the WFSBP in Barcelona in 1978. Its mission was and is to promote interdisciplinary research on the biology of mental disorders and to translate results of biological research into clinical practice. During the presidency of Peter Falkai, its tasks were defined to improve the quality and support of biologically oriented research in Germany by the DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft; German Research Foundation), BMBF (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung) and EU (European Union), to promote young researchers doing biologically oriented research, to improve on the diagnosis and therapy of mental disorders and to advise policy makers by taking part in legal processes. The DGBP has been a corporate member of the WFSBP from its beginning, became a cooperative member of the DGPPN (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Psychosomatik und Nervenheilkunde), later of the German Brain Council, and fostered relationships with other scientific societies. Over the past 45 years, more than twenty congresses were held in Germany and neighboring countries. Emerging from the pandemic, the DGBP is ready to continue its mission to promote interdisciplinary research on the biology of mental disorders with a focus on the development of young scientists and to translate results of biological research into clinical practice, with regard to pharmacotherapy in close cooperation with the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Neuropsychopharmakologie und Pharmakopsychiatrie (AGNP). In this sense, this article also aims to stimulate the cooperation of the society with other national and international partners and to foster new relationships with young scientists and professionals interested in the aims and goals of the DGBP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hospitalization is often stressful and burdensome for people living with dementia (PwD) and their informal caregivers (ICs). Day clinic treatment may provide a suitable alternative, but is often precluded by a diagnosis of dementia. Furthermore, it is often caregiver-based ratings that measure treatment success as the validity of self-reports in PwD is critically discussed. We therefore set out to examine the feasibility of psychobiological stress measures in PwD and ICs and to evaluate treatment trajectories considering both the day clinic context and the daily life of the dyads. Method: A total of 40 dyads of PwD (mean age: 78.15 ± 6.80) and their ICs (mean age: 63.85 ± 13.09) completed paper-and-pencil questionnaires (covering stress, depressive symptoms, and caregiver burden among others) in addition to the measurement of hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) at admission, discharge, and follow-up 6 months after day clinic treatment. As part of an ambulatory assessment, for 2 days at the beginning and 2 days at the end of the day clinic treatment, PwD and ICs collected six saliva samples per day for the analysis of salivary cortisol (sCort) and alpha-amylase (sAA). Results: Paper-and-pencil questionnaires and HCC assessments were more feasible than the ambulatory assessment. We found discrepancies between subjective and physiological markers of stress in PwD. Whereas HCC decreased over time, self-reported stress increased. Child–parent dyads reported decreases in neuropsychiatric symptoms, associated burden, and self-reported stress from admission to follow-up. In daily life, both PwD and ICs showed characteristic diurnal profiles of sAA and sCort, however, we found no differences in summary indicators of salivary stress markers over time. Discussion: The psychobiological evaluation was feasible and added informative value, underlining the potential of physiological stress markers to complement self-reports on stress in PwD and to objectively evaluate treatment trajectories. In this sample, HCC was more feasible and acceptable as biological marker of stress compared to saliva samples. Concerning treatment trajectories, differential effects on the dyads were found, with child–parent dyads benefiting more from day clinic treatment compared to spousal dyads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Mindfulness‐based interventions are a widely used and highly accepted adjunct treatment in oncology. Due to a paucity of research in advanced cancer and other terminal illnesses, we aimed to evaluate the stress‐reducing effects of a brief, standardised mindfulness intervention for use in palliative care. Methods: This study was a randomised, crossover trial where patients participated in both a single mindfulness intervention and a resting state control condition. The order of the conditions was randomised. Study outcomes encompassed self‐report data on stress and well‐being and measures of heart rate variability. All outcome data were measured at four times per day. Results: Forty‐two patients participated in this study. We found significantly stronger reductions in self‐rated stress and mean heart rate as well as an increase in heart rate variability after the mindfulness intervention. Psychophysiological effects were strongest in the immediate pre‐ to post‐intervention comparison, while the effect on subjective stress persisted after 20 to 40 min. No significant differences were found for self‐rated well‐being. Conclusions: Despite the rather small magnitude of effects, the brief mindfulness intervention showed to be effective and accepted by patients in very advanced stages of a disease and could be offered by trained healthcare professionals in palliative care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts of studies to be presented at the 7th Congress of the Three-Country Symposium for Biological Psychiatry in Göttingen, Germany from October 9 to 11, 2008 including the epigenetic mechanisms to treat brain diseases, genome-wide association study of alcohol dependence in a German population and genetics of unipolar depression.

The movement of a pendulum is often used as a metaphor to represent the history of twentieth century American psychiatry. On this view, American psychiatry evolved by swinging back and forth between two schools of thought in constant competition: somatic accounts of mental illness and psychodynamic ones. I argue that this narrative partly misrepresents the actual development of American psychiatry. I suggest that there were some important exchanges of ideas and practices in the transition from German biological approaches to American psychodynamic approaches. In particular, two kinds of pragmatism played an important role in this transition: Kraepelin's methodological pragmatism, and pragmatic values present in the American psychiatric context, due in part to the influence of William James. From a historical standpoint, I suggest that the metaphor of the pendulum doesn't capture the full complexities of this shift in psychiatry at the turn of the century; from a philosophical standpoint, my discussion brings to light two strands of pragmatism salient to scientific psychiatry., (© 2021. Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Announces several congresses of the German Society of Biological Psychiatry in 2003 and 2004.

Editorial. Deals with the '8th Congress of the German Society for Biological Psychiatry' from October 10 to 12, 2002 in D ü sseldorf, Germany.

Focuses on the contribution of psychiatrist Johann Bernhard Aloys von Gudden in the field of biological psychiatry in Germany. Recognition on the study of eye movement; Interest in neurobiology with humanitarian principles Investigations on the interrelations between the cortex and structure of the subcortex.

Biological determinants of mental illness in children and adolescents, such as genetic predisposition, gene x environment interactions, structural or functional brain abnormalities, and endocrine dysfunction are poorly understood. We report here on the foundation of and first achievements by a network of young professionals in the area of child and adolescent psychiatry that fosters biological research. YIBcap--Young Investigators in Biological child and adolescent psychiatry was founded in December 2005 and currently comprises 33 scientists from more than ten different German university hospitals, and seven internationally renowned senior advisors. Peer-to-peer support is provided by means of web-based communication software, regular meetings, workshops on research methods and fundraising, special symposia at scientific conferences, research collaborations, and career coaching. First multi-centre studies are planned. Increasingly positive results within the first year let us hope to be able to establish a forum that can contribute to improving scientific output and to encouraging young investigators in child and adolescent psychiatry.

Widespread negative attitudes and irrational beliefs about psychotropic drugs held by the public affect patients' treatment compliance. This study was an attempt to identify factors influencing people's acceptance or rejection of psychotropic drugs. An opinion poll was taken by a representative group of 2,176 adults in Germany. In addition to their attitudes toward psychotropic and cardiac drugs and their ratings of perceived risks and benefits, they were also asked about their drug knowledge, their fear of losing self-control, and their fundamental political values. Our results show that even for the treatment of severe mental disease, psychotropic drugs generally are not well accepted compared to cardiac drugs. Psychotropic drugs are believed to cause significantly more severe side effects and provoke more fear of losing control compared with cardiac drugs. Knowledge about psychotropic drugs and experiences with patients suffering from mental disorders are rather limited. Therefore, other sources of information such as negatively tainted reports in the mass media have a significant impact on opinions about psychotropic drugs. Unexpectedly, negative media reports are even more important for the discrimination of distinct subtypes like "acceptors" and "rejecters" of psychotropic drugs than fundamental value orientation. It is recommended that educational and information measures must be enacted to achieve balanced presentation of psychotropic drugs, their effects, and their side effects in the mass media. Improved communication and linguistic elements used in psychotherapeutic settings should be integrated into biological psychiatry to improve understanding of the concepts of mental diseases and their treatment.