title: How psychiatrist's communication skills and patient's diagnosis affect emotions disclosure during first diagnostic consultations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe how emotions are disclosed during psychiatric diagnostic consultations and the contribution of the psychiatrists in facilitating their expression.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive naturalistic study. Sixteen psychiatrists recorded their first consultations with 104 patients. Emotions and the immediate response given by the psychiatrist were coded with the Verona Coding Definitions of Emotional Sequences. For each disclosed emotion, the potential link to preceding expressions with affective content (cue or concern) was checked and the immediate response given by the psychiatrist was coded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most emotions were expressions of anxiety in terms of psycho-physiological or cognitive correlates. Concerns were present in 94% of the consultations, 47.6% were not linked to previous cues/concerns. Cues which became concerns and concerns which were further elaborated by the patient were those that had been acknowledged and handled by the psychiatrist by actively providing space to their expression. Compared to all other diagnostic groups, patients with mood disorders talked more explicitly and more often about their feelings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The type and frequency of expressed emotions varies with patient diagnosis, suggesting different cognitive processes underlining psychopathology.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Psychiatrist's competence in providing space by using active listening skills is essential to uncover patients emotions.
authors: Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy. Electronic address: lidia.delpiccolo@univr.it.
authors: Lidia
authors: L
authors: Del Piccolo
authors: Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors: Olivia
authors: O
authors: Danzi
authors: Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors: Nives
authors: N
authors: Fattori
authors: Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors: Maria Angela
authors: MA
authors: Mazzi
authors: Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors: Claudia
authors: C
authors: Goss
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003142:Communication; D003463:Cues; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D019370:Observation; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010820:Physicians; D011570:Psychiatry; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D013637:Tape Recording
keywords: Communication skills; Emotion disclosure; Psychiatric consultation; Psychiatry; VR-CoDES