Liaison psychiatry: referral patterns and their stability over time.

The authors analyzed referral patterns for psychiatric consultation from medical and surgical wards on the basis of 2,000 referrals. They found that patients' demographic characteristics were stable over time. The diagnoses of depressive disorders and organic brain syndromes consistently predominated. Other studies have shown similar findings. The authors stress the importance of research on depressive disorders in the physically ill and of teaching the diagnosis of organic brain syndromes. They also underscore the value of the liaison nurse.