SPECIAL ARTICLES   

Minerva Psichiatrica 2004 March;45(1):55-62

Copyright © 2004 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: Italian

Psychotherapy in consultation-Liaison Psychiatry

Munno D., Macario P. F., Malfatto A., Zullo G.

In this paper the main theoretical and intervention models of Consultation Psychiatry are illustrated, with reference to the objectives and to the problems concerning psychotherapeutic training and Liaison psychotherapeutic and pharmacological interventions.
Some general considerations on Consultation Psychiatry are suggested regarding:
‹ Consultation Psychiatry structure and models, with reference to Italian and Anglo-Saxon experiences;
‹ objectives, mainly regarding the features of psychiatric education in general, and, specifically, the features of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy;
‹ problems.
Furthermore, some considerations are proposed, on the basis of the present state of the discussion and the development of the basic principles, concerning:
‹ the psychotherapeutic training in Liaison, representing one of the most sensitive points of every health professional's learning, with some specific reflections regarding the various professional roles;
‹ the psychotherapeutic interventions in Liaison, considered an outstanding component of psychiatry because, as far as they are not connected with more traditional training stages, they are, indeed, rich in clinical difficulties which bring to variations of theories and techniques;
‹ the psychopharmacologic interventions in Liaison, which represent a border zone of psychiatry, in order to find out the interactions between drugs and psychiatric drugs, the criteria of responsiveness and the variations related to the ethnic groups.