[The pioneers Schwerin and Brandenburg-Görden in the development of alcohol use disorder therapy in the GDR].

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to provide insights into the addiction therapy concepts applied at the clinics of Hugo von Keyserlingk in Schwerin and Hubertus Windischmann in Brandenburg and to enable an understanding of the specific problems in this subsector of psychiatric care in the GDR.

Methods: Works published primarily in the GDR were identified, analyzed and contextualized, with expert interviews with von Keyserlingk and Windischmann complementing the findings.

Results: Initially limited approaches to alcoholism treatment after the Second World War gradually developed into more complex and diverse structures. Thus, from the 1960s on, von Keyserlingk established an addiction clinic, while Windischmann established an addiction treatment center in Brandenburg with various therapeutic options.

Conclusions: Von Keyserlingk's and Windischmann's contributions play a significant role in the development of therapeutic concepts. The study shows that they played a pioneering role in alcohol patient care in the GDR.