Social Determinants of the Utilization of Psychotherapeutic Care in Germany

Abstract

Background As the rate of mental disorders increases in Germany, psychotherapy is gaining in importance for the health-care system. However, there is currently very little information available on the type of patient who has access to psychotherapy, especially outpatient psychotherapy. This chapter “Social determinants of utilization of psychotherapy in Germany” describes studies on social inequality and utilization of psychotherapy. For this purpose we will focus on the individual predisposing factor “social structure,” which encompasses education, occupation, and ethnicity (Andersen RM, J Health Soc Behav 36:1–10, 1995), and will examine the influence of social status on the utilization of outpatient psychotherapy in Germany.