consultationliaison

Consultation-liaison psychiatry (CLP) is a medical subspecialty of psychiatry focused on the evaluation and treatment of psychiatric disorders in patients with coexisting medical illness, typically within general hospitals. Clinicians in CLP conduct psychiatric consultations for inpatients and, less often, outpatients, coordinating with medical teams to optimize both psychiatric and medical care. The goal is to improve patient outcomes, reduce distress, and facilitate appropriate disposition.

The practice covers a broad range of presentations encountered in medical settings, including delirium and other acute cognitive disorders, depression and anxiety in the medically ill, adjustment disorders, somatic symptom disorders, and suicidality. CLP physicians address psychosocial factors, caregiver burden, capacity and decision-making, and ethical issues related to treatment and discharge planning.

Care involves diagnostic assessment, formulation, psychopharmacology with attention to drug interactions and medical comorbidity, psychotherapy when feasible, and collaborative care planning with hospital teams. Interventions may occur at the bedside, during rounds, or in formal ward rounds and discharge planning meetings. Education and research in CLP advance practices, guidelines, and training for medical staff and trainees.

Training typically requires completion of a psychiatry residency followed by a CLP fellowship or equivalent subspecialty training. CLP teams may include psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, psychiatric nurses, and other allied health professionals. The field emphasizes integration of psychiatric care with general medical care to address the biopsychosocial dimensions of illness.