Cultural aspects of consultation-liaison psychiatry

Abstract

Culture influences thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in individuals, groups, and communities, and thus it can have a significant impact on illness behavior and the practice of health care. Culture can influence disease through a variety of mediating factors such as diet, smoking, use of alcohol and other drugs, activity levels, and compliance with medical management. Increasingly culturally competent medical practice is the goal for psychiatrists consulting to patients of diverse ethnic or cultural backgrounds (Bigby 2003; Tseng and Streltzer 2008), The consultation-liaison psychiatrist should not only be aware of cultural aspects of the assessment of the patient but also of the consultation process itself. This chapter elaborates broadly on cultural aspects of consultation-liaison service, including: The process of referral; the nature of the clinical problems; the interview; and clinical management and liaison work.