Psychiatric Diagnoses of 901 Inpatients Seen by Consultation-Liaison Psychiatrists at an Academic Medical Center in a Managed Care Environment

The authors reviewed the diagnoses from all inpatient psychiatric consultations conducted by faculty psychiatrists during calendar year 2001 (N = 901) at an academic medical center. In about 25% of the consultations, multiple psychiatric diagnoses were made. The most frequent diagnosis groups were mood (40.7%), cognitive (32.0%), and substance use disorders (18.6%). Among 671 consultations in which only one diagnosis was made, the rates of these diagnosis groups were 35.4%, 20.1%, and 10.2%, respectively. The findings were compared with the findings of 19 previous studies published over the past 27 years. Mood, cognitive, and substance use disorders remain major foci of consultation-liaison practice in the managed care era, although the rate of cognitive disorder diagnoses has increased. No evidence was found of a change over time in referral rates.