[Somatic disease at a department for acute psychiatric disease]

All of the patients admitted to the psychiatric inpatient department of the Municipal Hospital in Copenhagen during a period of three months were, on discharge, registered as regards somatic disease. 70% (95% confidence limits 66-75%) had somatic disease (38% of these were newly diagnosed). Treatment of these was carried out by the medical staff of the department and in 46% of the cases this was carried out in cooperation with the medical staffs of somatic departments. The close geographic contact with the departments for somatic diseases facilitated this cooperation. The staff in departments for emergency inpatient treatment of psychiatric disease should be able to observe and treat somatic disease on account of the high incidence of this. A psychiatric/medical special department could probably provide optimal treatment in cases of combined psychiatric and somatic disease.