Current topics of social-psychiatric research in German speaking countries: A content analysis of scientific journals

Aim: The paper is aimed at investigating what the actual topics of social-psychiatric research in German speaking countries are. Method: German and international journals covering psychiatry and adjacent disciplines were screened for articles dealing with social-psychiatric topics. All in all, 426 relevant articles were identified and subjected to a content analysis. Result: Almost one third of all articles was dealing with research on mental health services. Another research area that was strongly represented was epidemiology. By contrast, articles devoted to the study of psycho-social causes of mental disorders and psychosocial determinants of its course were rather rare. Discussion: Possible reasons for the observed trends in social-psychiatric research are discussed. Potential risks for social psychiatry resulting from a too one-sided emphasis on health service research are pointed out.