Abstract
Since 1970s the traditional psychosomatic medicine based on psychoanalytical psychogenicity has been developing to the core approach in the application of biopsychosocial medical model to all kinds of diseases by the integration of behavioral science, consultation-liaison psychiatry and others. Above all, consultation-liaison psychiatry has been found to be a great help to the practice of comprehensive medical management in various disciplines of clinical medicine through improvement of therapeutic human relations and problem-management-approaches to the patient's personal problems in the process of medical diagnosis and treatment. The psychoanalytical approach which has been found to be rather ineffective in the treatment of psychosomatic disorders is opening a new possibility in such a problem-management-approach.In the Unitted States the admirable progreess in the psychosomatic approach in clinical medicine has provided consultation-liaison psychiatry with the foundation for its development. The recent prevalence of psychosomatic approach in the Japanese medical circle urges us to initiate the negotiation on the reasonable collaborative system between psychosomaticists and liaison psychiatrists.Since the inauguration of the Japanese Psychosomatic Society in 1961 there has been some latent competitive and conflictual atmosphere between psychosomaticists in various clinical disciplines and psychiatrists who have been interested in psychosomatic approaches. This seems to be the lack of reasonable distinction in the role of the two members in psychosomatic medicine.Under these circumstances the new development of consultation-liaison psychiatry which indicates such a distinction will stimulate the peaceful co-operation between the two and greatly contribute to the progress of holistic medical care in our country.The fundamental role for psychosomatic medicine remains in the basic research of mind-body relationship in various diseases including malignant tumor. Such scientific data will continue to be the basis for sound development of holistic medical treatment under the co-operation of psychosomaticists in various clinical disciplines and consultation-liaison psychiatrists.
