The 2013 German Association for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics (DGPPN) Conference moved a highly topical subject into the spotlight with the main theme of From Therapy to Prevention. With over 7,000 members, the DGPPN is Germany’s largest and oldest association of doctors and scientists who work in the field of psychiatry, psychotherapy, psychosomatics and neurology. The DGPPN conference at the end of November 2013 recorded a new visitor record: Over 10,000 participants met from 27 to 30 November 2013 in the Berlin International Congress Center to deal with the latest medical, therapeutic, political and social developments in the field of psychic health. In addition to doctors, scientists and therapists, the visitors also included representatives from affected person and family organisations and interested laymen. With the new participant record, DGPPN consolidated its position as Europe’s largest scientific symposium in the field of psychiatry, psychotherapy, psychosomatic and neurology.

The lecture held by Professor Christine Nickl-Weller at the meeting – “Healing Architecture: Eine Herausforderung der Psychiatrie” (Healing Architecture: A Challenge for Psychiatry), which was moderated by Prof. Dr Eckart Rüther, discussed space as a significant factor in the recovery process and illustrated this on the basis of 10 theses on Healing Architecture.