FUNCTIONING AND WELL-BEING OF PATIENTS IN A CONSULTATION-LIAISON PSYCHIATRY CLINIC

Outpatient consultation-liaison (C-L) psychiatry clinics are valuable settings for research and teaching endeavors. However, little is known about psychiatric symptoms and health status of persons treated in su ch settings. In this study, 80 persons seen in an outpatient C-L psych iatry clinic were compared with 100 persons seen in a mood disorder cl inic on a variety of self-report instruments. Outpatient C-L clinic pa tients were found to have significantly poorer health status than mood clinic patients on the following domains as measured by the RAND inst rument: general health perception, pain, physical functioning, and rol e functioning due to physical problems. Both groups had poor role func tioning due to emotional problems and poor social functioning. The gro ups did not differ in depressive symptoms but C-L patients were signif icantly less anxious. Thus, it appears that patients in an outpatient C-L setting not only have significant medical comorbidity, as expected , but have levels of psychiatric distress comparable to that seen in a traditional psychiatry outpatient setting. These findings indicate th at such a clinic is a fertile area for research and training in the di agnosis and treatment of persons with comorbid physical and mental dis orders.