VersorgungsNOT – Psychotherapie als zentrale, aber marginalisierte Versorgungsleistung im Gesundheitssystem: Der Preis der Ignoranz – was kostet es uns als Gesellschaft?

The article addresses the socially relevant question of which care concepts and quality assurance measures are necessary to give psychotherapy a care-relevant status in the Austrian health care system, also addresses sociological causes for the increase in mental illnesses as well as facts about need, prevalence, health care data and resources, and describes how the development of a National Mental Health Strategy can help to improve the nationwide provision of psychotherapy. The article is based on the authors’ findings from the 2020 conference “VersorgungsNOTwendigkeit—Versorgung in der NOT” – organized by the Coordination Office for Psychotherapy Research at Gesundheit Österreich GmbH – and the in-depth discussion on the topic of psychotherapy supply or supply shortage: the issues of psychotherapy supply were discussed in focus groups and in the advisory board of the Coordination Office, and a literature review and in-depth explorative interviews on the topic were conducted. The article presents first results of these analyses, searches, reflections and the authors’ conclusions.