Referrals to a British liaison psychiatry service.

The first 300 referrals (excluding self-poisoning) to the newly established liaison psychiatry service at Leicester Royal Infirmary have been examined. One-third of the referrals were for psychological reactions to physical illness and another third for psychogenic illnesses. Physicians do not seem to require our help with the classic psychosomatic disorders. The vast majority of referrals were appropriate and there was only minimal abuse of the service.