42-year-old woman committed

Knife attack: therapy triggered psychosis

The Germans in the Vienna Regional Court.

(Bild: Sophie Pratschner, Krone KREATIV)

In most cases, patients seek psychological care when they already know that something is wrong. In the case of a 42-year-old academic - she herself has a degree in psychology - it was the other way around: a group therapy session she attended out of interest revealed her paranoid psychosis - and this ended fatally for another participant. Now the Vienna public prosecutor's office is requesting her hospitalization.

The 42-year-old woman in the Vienna Provincial Court does not fit the classic image of a sufferer. This is evident from the personal details that Judge Nicole Baczak goes through with the German woman. She attended grammar school in her home country, graduated from high school and then studied mathematics. She did research at university and also taught. 

Studied psychology in Vienna
At the age of 38, she finally took a different direction: she moved to Vienna to study psychology, where she also completed her bachelor's degree. Along the way, she worked as a school assistant for autistic pupils at a Viennese grammar school. A model career - but one that now ends in front of a jury in the country ...

I wanted to become a psychotherapist. I only did the group therapy back then for learning purposes.

42-jährige Betroffene im Wiener Landl

"I wanted to become a psychotherapist. I only did the group therapy back then for learning purposes," she explained to Judge Baczak. She attended the therapy for two and a half years, which ended disastrously for the academic and another patient. "It was a gradual process that I didn't notice at first," the 42-year-old recalls. It started with hallucinations. "I thought it was part of the therapy." Later, she had fits of weakness and thought she was going to die.

Cake knife stuck to her forearm
Then, on November 5 last year, things escalated. "The victim developed an aversion to a gentleman in her group therapy session for no reason," said the prosecutor. "She felt the need to arm herself that day." She taped two kitchen knives to her forearms and hid them under a sweater. Thus ammunitioned, she finally drove publicly to the center of Vienna for therapy - out of nowhere, she stabbed the victim twice.

Lawyer Clara Abpurg defends the sick academic.

(Bild: Sophie Pratschner)

"I didn't actually want to kill him. I wanted him to be quiet. That he was gone," the German woman, who is now on medication, tries to explain. "I know that I was afraid. Afraid that my soul was dying. I had the feeling that I had to fight against the master." Fortunately, the victim survived the stabs to the stomach and chest. The public prosecutor's office requested that the 42-year-old be placed in a forensic therapy center for attempted murder. Court psychiatrist Peter Hofmann diagnosed her with paranoid psychosis, which rendered her insane.

AKH sent her home with sedatives
The woman realizes that she needs professional help - probably also because of her relevant degree. "She never resisted medication," says defense lawyer Clara Abpurg. Judge Nicole Baczak wanted to know whether she had ever sought help outside of group therapy before - "I was once in the emergency room at the AKH." However, she was only given tranquilizers in the psychiatric ward and sent home ...

Now she is receiving the necessary treatment and therapy in a forensic therapy center. The jury unanimously approves the prosecution's request.