[Interconsultation psychiatry in general hospitals: initial communication of an experience].
BACKGROUND
Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry is very incipient in Brazil. Brazilian psychiatrists are carefully producing new services and research in this field.


OBJECTIVE
The authors investigated a Consultation-Liaison's Service establishment and first six months in a teaching Hospital in São Paulo, Hospital Universtário, from Universidade de São Paulo.


METHODS
Between March and September in 1993, there were 60 consecutive referrals from physicians, diagnosed using DSM-III-R's (1987) Multiaxial Diagnosis.


RESULTS
They found that 85% of the sample had an Axis I diagnosis, and the most prevalent were Organic Mental Syndromes, Depressive and Anxiety Disorders. This results are similar to the consultation-liaison's literature. They found Mental Retardation, Borderline and Dependent personality disorders the most important Axis II diagnosis, suicide attempts the most stressful life event, and almost half of the referrals scored less than 60 in Global Assessment and Functioning Scale applied to the internation's period, suggesting that the institutional distress is a very important sort of referral's threshold.


CONCLUSIONS
The authors conclude that Multiaxial Diagnosis is very important to potentialize Consultation-Liaison effectiveness in General Hospital, with a contribution to Medicine and every staff's member.
Spinelli
M A
MA
Hospital Universitário da Universidade de São Paulo.
de Toledo
M L
ML
Cantinelli
F
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D008875:Middle Aged; D011570:Psychiatry; D012017:Referral and Consultation