Models of consultation-liaison psychiatry: A scoping review

Consultation-liaison psychiatry (CLP) is a subspecialty of clinical psychiatry that includes clinical, teaching, and research activities of psychiatrists and allied mental health professionals in the nonpsychiatric divisions of a general hospital. The development of C-L psychiatry began slowly in the early 20th century (1900-1930s), when psychiatric treatment started moving from mental hospital setting to a general hospital setting. Since then, it has evolved significantly as a subspecialty, and, over the years, various models and approaches towards consultation and liaison with other departments have been proposed by different authors. In this scoping review, we attempt to understand the path of evolution of CLP, the various models that have been proposed over the years, and the available evidence for their efficacy and utility. Though many studies have been done regarding the various approaches towards CLP, much more robust, longitudinal research focussed on the impact of the various models of service and their interconnections need to be undertaken.