Research on anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders awarded
03.12.2009 10:46
DGPPN awards psychotherapy prize
As part of this year's annual meeting of the German Society for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Neurology (DGPPN) from November 25th to 28th, 2009 in Berlin, the society awarded the psychotherapy prize worth 5,000 euros on Saturday, November 28th, 2009. The prize was shared equally with Professor Dr. med. Ulrich Vorderholzer, senior physician and deputy director of the department for psychiatry and psychotherapy at the Freiburg University Hospital and private lecturer Dr. med. Michael Rufer, deputy clinical director of the psychiatric polyclinic at the University Hospital Zurich, was awarded.
The Psychotherapy Prize honors committed scientists for outstanding achievements in clinical or experimental psychotherapy research. This is intended to take into account the increasing importance of psychotherapy in the treatment of mental illnesses. The prize, which goes equally to Professor Dr. med. Ulrich Vorderholzer and private lecturer Dr.med. Michael Rufer goes, was awarded on November 28, 2009 at the DGPPN annual conference.
Professor Dr. med. Ulrich Vorderholzer, senior physician and deputy director of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University Hospital of Freiburg, has been researching the clinical picture of obsessive-compulsive disorder for many years. Vorderholzer founded a psychotherapy network for obsessive-compulsive disorder in Germany in 2008. It is affiliated with the Psychotherapy Department of the DGPPN. He received the psychotherapy award for his commitment to a disorder-oriented psychiatric concept in conjunction with accompanying psychotherapy research.
Private lecturer Dr. med. Michael Rufer, deputy clinical director of the psychiatric polyclinic at the University Hospital of Zurich, is primarily concerned with disorder-specific cognitive behavioral therapies. Using the example of anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders, Rufer examines how successful such therapeutic approaches are in improving the quality of life of patients. He is also interested in knowing which factors promote treatment failure. With the Psychotherapy Prize, the DGPPN recognizes Rufer's efforts to anchor psychotherapy research more firmly at the University of Zurich.
The prize is supported by the Foundation for Mental Health of the German Society for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Neurology. It promotes the mental health of the population and further develops the psychiatric reform to improve the care of mentally ill people. The foundation is a member of the Donor Association of German Science.