The place of psychodynamic psychiatry in consultation-liaison psychiatry with special emphasis on countertransference.

Psychodynamic theory can be applied to all aspects of consultation-liaison work. There are various psychodynamic treatment approaches that can have a powerful meaning to the patient. This can include understanding the patient's life trajectory through the elicitation of a life narrative, understanding defense mechanisms, and utilizing the patient's fantasies about illness. Patients who are physically ill regress and want to be understood. When this is achieved through a psychodynamic approach, the patient will be more likely to accept a referral for psychiatric follow-up when it is indicated. The consultation-liaison psychiatrist will also encounter transference and countertransference manifestations. Of particular usefulness can be derivatives of classical countertransference, which can be seen as reactions and identifications by the treating psychiatrist or the medical team to the patient that may interfere with effective care. "Countertransference Rounds" is a technique for examining such manifestations during the C-L team's discussion of patients.