“Size surprised me”: health director about “Satanic panic” in Littenheid

“All the atrocities that people can imagine take place there.” At the end of 2021, Swiss television broadcast a documentary about “Satanic Panic”. A senior doctor, who was a trauma therapist in Littenheid at the time, spoke candidly about alleged ritual abuse. There is a “parallel world that knows how to protect itself extremely well,” he said, speaking of torture and other atrocities.

The consequences of this: the chief physician and later the medical director were fired and the admission of patients was stopped. The canton of Thurgau launched an investigation in the spring of 2022 and ordered measures in December.

As a result, Clienia Littenheid commissioned an external expert to review 422 patient records with dissociative identity disorders. On Friday, the Canton of Thurgau and the Clienia Littenheid announced the results: ‘serious’ clues to conspiracy stories were found in 43 of the 422 reports, and hinted at least in another 188.

“Serious clues” were found when the topics of satanic violence or mind control were supposedly explored, accepted as facts, or established through research, Clienia media spokeswoman Bettina Zimmermann writes when asked. The clinic published the report Friday along with the notification.

He had expected abnormalities, says Thurgau health director Urs Martin, “but the magnitude surprised me.” The Clienia Littenheid also writes in its message of Friday: “The size touches us deeply. The report confirms the need for action on organization, leadership and culture of error.”

In response to the revelations, the clinic has set up an ombudsman’s office and an external hotline, revised the concept, introduced an evidence-based therapy procedure and organized training for employees. The statement states: “The new concept completely separates training, certification and guidance from each other. It is ensured that the basis of all training is scientifically sound.”

The canton of Thurgau checked progress in mid-July – with a positive conclusion. The restart is “in full swing” in Littenheid, says Urs Martin, and the canton is “close”. In any case, Thurgau is considered a “primitive example of the Enlightenment”. Urs Martin says: “We are receiving international acclaim for having documented such abuses for the first time as a public sector.”

Although Urs Martin’s department makes regular surveillance visits to its hospitals, the problems in Littenheid only came to light when Swiss television provided crucial information. Still, the health director says, “I don’t assume we made any mistakes.” As long as the canton does not have specific information, there is no reason to review individual therapy concepts or treatments.

Unlike the canton, the Clienia Littenheid admits to negligence. Media spokeswoman Bettina Zimmermann writes: “We apologize for the errors. In recent months we have made great efforts to fully process the events and draw the right conclusions.” Every effort is made to provide people seeking help with the best possible evidence-based therapy.

Urs Martin cannot and does not want to assess whether this will also entail further redundancies. “I’m aware of several changes,” he says, “but it’s not for me to comment on the clinic’s staffing decisions.”

The Clienia itself also keeps a low profile. The new director of nursing Daniel Mark and the new medical director Rafael Traber face a new beginning, writes Bettina Zimmermann, and: “According to the expert, we have created important conditions for a successful future by adapting the new therapy concepts and entering into new agreements to make .” A dismissal of clinic director Daniel Wild was never in question.

Even without further layoffs: Clienia Littenheid still has work to do. The canton writes that the control and quality assurance measures of the clinic will continue to be supervised by the Health Office: “The effectiveness of the measures cannot yet be definitively assessed, because they can only be measured after a certain period of time.”

The canton announces a new on-site inspection for 2024 or 2025 and a final report based on it. The fact that this is taking so long is solely due to the high requirements that the canton sets for the clinic, says Urs Martin. “Clienia Littenheid wants to get clarity as soon as possible – we no longer have any reason to believe that they want to conceal or cover up anything.”

One thing is now certain for Clienia Littenheid: with the implementation of the new therapy concept, preparatory conversations for patients with dissociative identity disorder for inpatient psychotherapy can again take place from October 2023. Recording will be possible again from January 2024.

Bettina Zimmermann writes that Clienia Littenheid is “obviously” available to patients who may have fallen victim to conspiracy stories. Private claims for damages or even complaints have not been received so far – and officially there are no victims (yet): “The expert notes that no direct damage has occurred for patients.” (bzbasel.ch)