Psychiatric consultations and ethics consultations. similarities and differences

Although consultation-liaison psychiatry and clinical ethics both developed largely in response to the problems engendered by the new medical technology and the dilution of the traditional doctor-patient relationship, they represent distinct fields that rely on different, but overlapping, domains of expertise. To be effective, ethics consultants often need to augment their own background with psychiatric knowledge and skills. Consultation-liaison psychiatrists are well prepared to contribute to clinical ethics but cannot serve effectively as ethics consultants without additional education and training. Several case examples are presented to elucidate these points and to illustrate the similarities and differences between psychiatric consultations and ethics consultations.