Consultant psychiatrist or psychologist (CP) is oft en called from other clinics at a general hospital to diagnose and give therapeutic advise to inpatients with organic problems. Three were the aims of present study: the recording of quantitative elements in liaison psychiatry, such as clinic of other discipline of medicine called for psychiatric or psychological diagnostic evaluation (PDE), the frequency and type of request, and the given diagnosis. The use of qualitative elements of inpatients, such as the diagnosis of personality and attachment type. Th e therapeutic techniques used according to the type of personality and attachment type of each patient, and the relation of nurses in such procedure.
MATERIAL-METHOD 118 inpatients (men=67) we re examined in a 6 month period at clinics of “G. Papanikolaou” General Hospital of Thessaloniki, following psychiatric interview, a short-given version of adult attachment interview, and daily records of their behaviour. Th e tests used were the BDI, HamDS, HamAS, MMSE, Rorschach.
RESULTS Th e most frequent request for PDE came from pathology departments with 7.7 calls/month, followed by pneumology and surgical clinics with 4.2 and 2.1 calls/month, respectively. Th e most common requests for PDE, such as 12.7% for suicidal attempt, 11.8% for depression, 9.3% for anxiety-elevated temper, were found to diverge from the clinical diagnosis aft er PDE, as the 37.2% of inpatients found to suffer from depression, 11% from delusional disorder, and 9.3% from psychosis.
CONCLUSIONS It was observed that the initial request differs from the final evaluation by the CP, and that the handling and treating of each patient is relevant to patient’s attachment type and personality. We delineate the most common techniques of cognitive-behavioural approach used by CPs for treating inpatients, and also how to be used by nurses.
Original Paper