[The so-called accident neurosis--a controversial concept]

After a short presentation of the legal bases concerning the field of legal accident insurance in the F.R.G., the development of psychic syndromes after accidents is described. The fact is stressed that such a development is always the result of a concurrence of several factors: the personality of the person involved, the accident itself--whereby one has to point out that not the event is decisive, but its result--, the relation between the medical physician and his patient, the fact of being insured against accidents, as well as further effects originating from the patient's environment. In the second part, the problem of judging the causal connection of the psychic symptomatology and the accident is discussed in detail. In this connection the terminological problems are investigated, too. It is underlined that the term "accident neurosis" does not fit at all, because it only seems to be classifying, but in fact different psychic developments demonstrated here in detail, are enclosed in this term. It is suggested to avoid that notion in future. Finally, the problem of granting a pension is discussed; also the question what kind of psychic consequences an actually given pension may bring, and finally the problem of treatment for these difficult patients.