[Current developments in the area of consultation/liaison psychiatry. Information, definition of the concept, perspectives].

Recent developments in cooperation of clinical and psychosomatic medicine are reviewed for the Federal Republique of Germany and the European neighbour countries. Central are: Development of concepts and modes of cooperation. The starting point are consultations, the goal is to "liaison" with most clinical areas. Research is focussed on: Dynamics of the process of cooperation, efficacy and efficiency as well as interactions of clinical course and coping. International comparison sheds more light on the relationship of psychiatry and psychosomatics/psychotherapy. The further development will try to stabilise existing cooperations as well as experiences from university medicine to every day clinical practise. The newly founded European Consultation Workgroup prepared a European collaborative study as well as a first European conference on consultation liaison.