In an attempt to characterize consultees' representations of
consultants' psychiatric dagnoses, the authors reviewd the medical records
from 190 psychiatric consultations in a general hopsital. Using specific
outcome criteria, they rated 50% of representations as concordant and 39%
as nonconcordant. Five variable,s icluding the primary medical diagnosis at
discharge and the referring service, were significantly related to
concordance. Surprisinlgy, concordance was independent of the psychiatric
diagnosis, indicating theat consultees did not respond differentially to
varying magnitudes and implications of the different disorders. This work
raises the question of possible strategies to improve receptivity to
psychiatric diagnoses in the consultation setting.Abstract Teaser