What does a social psychiatric service do?

116117, consultation hour & therapy place

In short

What this page is about

Germany’s social psychiatric service explained: tasks, first contact, possible support, costs, and regional differences.

This may fit if

you want to understand what the local SPDI can do.

Looking for something else?

In immediate danger, the SPDI is not the fastest path; then use 112.

If you do just one thing

Find the SPDI responsible for your area.

What is the SPDI for?

It advises during mental crises, longer-lasting strain, and difficult care situations. Staff can help sort the situation, explain local support, and discuss next steps. It does not replace ongoing psychotherapy or automatically provide psychiatric (The medical specialty for mental health conditions. Medication and hospital care can also be topics there.) treatment.

How does first contact work?

Contact the service responsible for where you live, usually by phone or email. A short sentence is enough: “I need support and do not know where to start.” The service then clarifies whether a meeting there, another service, or urgent help fits better.

Do staff visit people at home?

Some services offer outreach or home visits depending on the situation and region. This is not guaranteed throughout Germany. Ask the local service whether a meeting outside its office is possible.

What does counseling cost?

Municipal social psychiatric services generally do not send a direct bill to people seeking advice. Responsibility, process, and requirements may differ locally, so ask if unsure.

When is other help more important?

In immediate danger or when someone cannot remain safe, the SPDI (A local German social psychiatric service that can help sort mental strain, crisis support, and further local help.) may not be reachable quickly enough. Call 112 in immediate danger. The full list of crisis contacts is on the urgent-help page.

Sources and notes

• Gesundheitsinformation.de / IQWiG: Psychische Probleme – wo gibt es Hilfe?
• gesund.bund.de: German national health portal

If you only wanted information

This guide may fit as a next step: Which counseling center fits my problem?

If you want to try first contact

Use the sentence helper or copy one short sentence. First contact does not have to be perfect.

If it has become urgent

Then reading more is not the priority. Open urgent help or call 112 in Germany if there is immediate danger.