Consultation-liaison psychiatry in Korea.

The Korean Psychosomatic Society, our national organization for consultation-liaison (C-L) psychiatry was formed within the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association (KNPA) in 1992. Since then, there has been increasing interest in C-L activities in general hospitals. All psychiatry departments in university teaching hospitals offer C-L experiences as part of the rotation for residents. Recently, there have been increasing research activities in C-L psychiatry. However, there are some current obstacles to further development of C-L psychiatry. No reimbursement for C-L activities is one of the most pressing problems facing C-L psychiatrists. Insufficient staffing at C-L services and stigmatization of mental illness are also problems to be dealt with. In order to resolve those issues, a more organized approach to demonstrate the usefulness of psychiatric C-L activities will be needed.