From boxing to geriatric psychiatry : Facets from the work of East German social psychiatrist Bernhard Schwarz (1918-1991)

Abstract

For the first time, this study presents publications representative for the work of the neurologist and sports physician Bernhard Schwarz, whose career spans from the 1950s to the 1970s. His work is characterized by exceptional originality. Schwarz acted as the physician of the GDR national boxing team and conducted asystematic long-term study of 800 boxers. He found increased occurrences of depression, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and suggested that these were linked to recurring craniocerebral injury. He was concerned about avoiding such long-term health effects in boxers and suggested arange of preventive measures that were later reflected in the guidelines of international boxing associations. Schwarz was distinguished by his drive to directly implement social psychiatric approaches in the hospital. As head of the psychiatric clinic at Leipzig University, he initiated aclub for geriatric patients to help older patients with the problematic transition from hospitalization to outpatient assistance at home. Influenced by holistic anthropological thinking, he regarded geriatric mental illness as aconsequence of social isolation. In addition, Schwarz was involved in amodel project that assessed the work resilience of patients in the hospital with the goal of optimizing psychiatric rehabilitation. Both projects were successes, according to his published accounts.