Consultation-liaison psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine, A University Hospital Center Sestre milosrdnice model

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate an active participation of the Department of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine as the first and currently the only formally founded department of that kind in Croatia. Consultation-liasion psychiytry in Sestre milosrdnice has been present for decades, from the time when psychiatry department was founded at the hospital. Nevertheless, Department as an organizational unit has been active for the last six years. It is important to emphasize the cooperation and consultation between the specialists in "somatic" medicine and psychiatrists as well as to point out a psychosomatic aspect in physical illness. Moreover, the importance of psychiatrist's role in discovering, providing diagnosis and treating "somatic"patients with psychiatric complications must be placed in the focus, and the rest of the medical team needs to be aware that each patient has its own biological, psychological and social dimension which requires a holistic, bio-psycho-social approach regardless of the patient's physical or mental disorder.

Influence of the Serotonergic System Polymorphism on the Expression of Dental Anxiety

“…At the same time, we should assess more thoroughly the relation between 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and personality traits of anxiety in healthy population, which will become a possible endophenotype related to psychiatric disorders such as specific phobias, in this case dental phobia. All the above could in the near future bring psychiatric genetics closer to the goal of discovering risky profiles for developing dental anxiety, thus allowing the possibility of prevention by using psychological and biological therapeutic measures ( 45 ).…”