title: The pharmacotherapy-psychotherapy triangle: psychiatrist, nonmedical psychotherapist, and patient.
abstract: Members of the Washington State Psychiatric Association (N = 387) were sent a questionnaire asking about their experience with providing adjunctive medicinal treatment to patients in psychotherapy with someone else. Of the 202 respondents, 63% acknowledged such "therapeutic triangles." Younger psychiatrists, psychiatrists working in clinic and/or public settings, and non-psychoanalytic psychiatrists were more likely to participate in such arrangements. It is estimated that between 7200 and 21,000 U.S. psychiatrists participate in such arrangements, with 72,000-210,000 patients seen each month. More extensive study of all aspects of this phenomenon is urged.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011570:Psychiatry; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D012017:Referral and Consultation