Focused management strategies, including effective distribution of available resources is dependent on ongoing analysis of referral type in any liaison psychiatry consultation service. This survey sought to measure rate of diagnoses in an Irish liaison psychiatry consultation service, and compare the results with other similar services.

A survey of referral reasons and diagnoses was performed on all patients presenting to a Dublin based inpatient liaison psychiatry consultation service over two six month periods. The results were subsequently compared with other similar international studies.

Commonest referral reasons were for depressive disorders, while commonest diagnoses included alcohol related disorders, depressive disorders, and delirium, with notably higher rates of alcohol related disorders than in other similar international studies.

This study provides valuable information for referral reasons and diagnoses present in an Irish liaison psychiatry consultation service. The differences noted between diagnoses in our study and other international studies, as well as some of the difficulties in establishing these diagnoses, are discussed.