[Liaison psychiatry in two public hospitals of Santiago].
BACKGROUND
Medical and surgical teams consult psychiatrists when abnormal behavior or psychopathological traits are observed in their patients.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the experience of liaison psychiatry teams in public hospitals.


METHODS
Analysis of 128 consultations, involving 110 patients. Eighty eight patients were subjected to the structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorders--Patient Edition, the Mini Mental State score and to a search for personality disorders.


RESULTS
The most commonly consulted problems were depression in 44 patients, substance abuse in 29 and suicidal behavior in 21. The psychiatric study detected that 8% of patients were asymptomatic, 8% had stress reactions, 16.5% had substance abuse, 14.6% had alcohol abuse, 11% had a major depression, 10% had delirium or dementia, 9% had anxiety disorders, 4% schizophrenia, 18% personality disorders and 19% had suicidal behaviors.


CONCLUSIONS
Psychiatric consultations in medical and surgical services are common and have a wide variety of severity.
Departamento de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental Sur, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago. ghernandez@machi.med.uchile.cl
Guillermo
G
Hernández
Paola
P
Gallardo-Zurita
Rafael
R
Sepúlveda
Pilar
P
Morales de Sétien
D000368:Aged; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology