[Social psychiatry without sociology. Analysis of a scientific journal]

Abstract

Aim: Psychiatry and Sociology have followed separate avenues in Germany since the mid 1970 s. The aim of this work is to investigate their present relationship by means of an analysis of a scientific journal.

Method: All original works dealing with social psychiatric subjects and appearing in Psychiatrische Praxis in the years 2002 and 2003 were analysed.

Results: Sociologists appear to be a minority among the authors. Questions that are explicitly related to sociological theories were an exception, and sociological authors have hardly been quoted.

Conclusion: Social psychiatric research in Germany is still conducted without Sociology. If social psychiatry is to gain in importance as a scientific discipline, closer cooperation with its mother discipline is imperative. As an example, the application of the rational choice theory in psychiatric research is discussed.